Mind and Heart
by MaybeThere'sHope
Summary: The much awaited sequel to Body and Soul. Did Magnus' "Gift" spell work? Will Alec come back? Will they both? Will neither? To find out their fate, they have to find each other, which might be easier said than done, depending on which way you look at it.
1. Waking Up

**Seeeeeqqqquuuueeeeeellllllll!**

**Okay, let me just clarify so there's NO CONFUSION WHATSOEVER. This story will NOT be updated like my other stories (i.e. fast-ish), because it's just too hard. There are a lot of metaphysical blah blah things going on, so I need time to think it all up. **

**Alright, with that said, you probably want me to just get on with it huh? **

**I don't own them…still…sigh.**

**Chapter Song: Nothing Else Matters by Apocalyptica (great cello cover of Metallica. I just love it.)**

Alec woke slowly, afraid to open his eyes. His entire body, having been engulfed in internal flames not two seconds earlier, felt cold all over from the loss of the heat he'd grown accustomed to in his final moments. His muscles felt like he'd been tensing them for a week straight. They were all sore to the very core, and it hurt to even breathe, so he stopped.

He stopped breathing. Somehow, he didn't need to.

This seemed like a bad sign.

He went from not breathing at all to hyperventilating, which did nothing to alleviate the pain in his entire body, but he couldn't stop. He kept trying to catch his breath, looking for the relief that was supposed to come, like when you stopped holding your breath after a long moment and finally took that deep intake of air. But the feeling never came. It felt…unnecessary. It was bizarre, to say the least. He tried to control his panic, and slowly it began to subside, his breathing returning to a normal pace and eventually stopping again.

He didn't think he would get used to that feeling, but he tried to let it rest at the back of his mind. He slowly, painfully, came into a sitting position. He felt his back ache horribly, and couldn't help but let out a small cry. Small, because he discovered that his voice was nearly gone.

He tried to think back on the last few moments before he woke up here. There was so much fire. So much pain. It seemed like a haze that just wouldn't lift. He tried harder to remember; he knew he was in an unfamiliar place. He was lying on something hard. Oh, so much pain. It came rushing back to him in waves, the internal burning that made his blood boil and his skin blister. He looked down at his arms, where his Marks used to be. All that was left was charred skin, shaped like Marks, but badly drawn ones. They were distorted and they made no sense.

Inside his chest, he felt an odd sensation. It was like a fluttering, a palpitation of his heart. It didn't feel right at all. He thought he might still be panicking, but even his attempts to alleviate it did nothing to slow the sensation that felt like hummingbird wings were flapping in his chest. Also, it had an odd rhythm; sometimes it was lightning fast, other times it would jerk to a stop, only to start up again even faster after a few seconds. It was like his heart was trying to jumpstart itself, but it had the wrong speed setting.

His head ached as he tried to think back further. Lying on something hard. Clawing at his body. Tears rolling down his face. Screaming. Screaming. So much screaming.

Magnus.

Magnus.

"Magnus!"

The verbalization of it brought the physical pain of his throat to the forefront, but he didn't heed it. He looked around frantically, only now noticing his surroundings.

He was in a very pale yellow room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all painted the same pastel buttercup color. It was quite unsettling, because he couldn't really distinguish the walls from the ceiling and floor. It was bizarre. What was this place? And why was he alone?

Still thinking back… The pain. His heart slowing. Wishing it would just end. His vision sharpening incredibly, even though the rest of his body was in a pain-filled haze. Seeing Magnus. His face contorted in agony. I love you. Then, nothing.

Dead.

He was dead.

Was this heaven?

Magnus. He just wanted Magnus.

As he glanced around, he faintly noticed the walls were a very slightly brighter shade of yellow. They were more like the centers of daisies now. Odd.

He couldn't get his mind off the weird rhythm of his heart. Well, if he was dead, not needing to breathe would make sense. But why, then, was his heart rate skyrocketing? And at such a weird, unsteady pace?

He tried to take stock of the rest of his body. It seemed to be all in one piece, but very cold. His veins felt like they were filled with jello, and it was hard to move right. Like his blood was congealed, moving slowly despite the rapid pace of the muscle in his chest.

He wished Magnus was here. He was so warm, so comfortable. His arms, his slender body pressed against Alec's muscular one. All he wanted was Magnus.

This time, he was looking at the walls when they changed. The yellow got brighter, he was sure of it. What _was_ this place? If he was in heaven, weren't there supposed to be others around? The Angel waiting to take him in? Something? Not this endless abyss of yellow. And why the hell yellow? He was baffled.

He slowly tried to stand, only managing to get to his knees before his muscles gave out. He felt so weak and sore, it was unbelievable. He still couldn't remember what had brought this on. He just remembered seeing Magnus' face, so painful, so agonized, before his oddly acute vision went dark.

There it was again. The walls got brighter. They were the color of corn on the cob now.

Alec wished Magnus was here, so he could heal this horrible soreness in his muscles.

Again, the walls brightened. Alec thought for a moment. It didn't make any sense.

Magnus.

Another shift in color.

Magnus.

Still brighter, almost the color of lemons now.

Magnus.

All of a sudden, color burst forth toward him, and he felt like he was being crushed by some hideous weight. It felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest. He started gasping for breath, knowing it would do no good, since he had no need to breathe in the first place. It kept getting heavier, heavier, until he was sure his body would be crushed. He could feel his bones cracking, shattering, but he felt no pain except the feeling of being trapped by this huge weight. His vision started to get blurry, then darken. It darkened, and darkened, never stopping, until he couldn't see a thing. His heart was racing like wildfire now. He was in full panic mode.

He pushed hard against the weight, only to cause a painful burst of soreness from his muscles. He screamed in his hoarse, barely there voice. But he kept screaming, hoping against hope that someone else was trapped in this place and could hear him and take away this excruciating burden that was crushing him to death…well…again.

He was still screaming when he felt a gentle shake of his shoulder. He tried to yell at whoever it was to "TAKE IT OFF ME!" but it seemed they wouldn't listen. They just kept shaking him gently, as if trying to wake him up. Jesus, he couldn't be more awake right now. He was suffocating, even though he didn't need to breathe. Even the logistics of it were killing his already dead body. He thrashed and thrashed under the weight, trying so hard to push against it, but to no avail. He knew the end (again) would come soon. He stopped pushing, just wanting it to end, and suddenly his whole body went limp and his vision went black.

He opened his eyes and sucked in a panicked breath. He pushed at the weight on him, and it flew up and off of him with such little effort he was startled. It was soft and pliable. He was surrounded by softness. And yellow. Bright, canary yellow.

The hand against his shoulder squeezed and let go, only to go up to his face and swipe the hair out of his eyes.

"Calm down, baby. You just had a bad dream, okay? It's okay."

Dear Angel. That voice. He felt relief wash over him like a tidal wave, just at the sound of the one voice in the entire world he longed to hear.

He looked over, only to have his relief be short-lived.

He expected to see Magnus as he usually was in the mornings (on the rare occasion he'd gotten to see him in such a setting). He expected to see black hair hanging down, brushing caramel shoulders that were inked with dozens of tattoos from different centuries. He expected to see eyeliner, smeared around piercing cat-like eyes, left on from the day before. And glitter. Lots and lots of glitter. He expected to see _his_ Magnus.

What he saw was something different entirely. The face before him was devoid of any makeup whatsoever. Not even a leftover spec of glitter on an eyelid. The silky black locks that Alec loved to run his fingers through barely reached his ears. He had always had that endearing strand that seemed to fall in his face constantly, but it wasn't there; it was messy, but not the tangled mess that Magnus' hair could get to.

Another red flag was that the man next to him was wearing a button up _flannel_ pajama top. His Magnus most certainly slept in the nude. And even if he put on something to make Alec feel a little more comfortable, Alec was fairly sure the warlock didn't own a damn single article of flannel.

The eyes were also unnerving. He registered faintly that before Alec had died, Magnus' eyes had been like normal human eyes because of something that was done to him. But normally, his eyes were slits like Chairman Meow's. But this Magnus had regular, greenish yellow, sleep-glazed eyes with round human pupils.

The most unnerving, bizarre sight of all, though, was the entire package when observed as a whole. Magnus Bane had looked 19 years old for the last eight centuries. He liked to joke about his age sometimes, because he would be forever young. It had always caused Alec a little pain that he himself would grow old while Magnus stayed youthful, but they had kind of put it off for future discussion.

This man, however, looked undoubtedly older. He looked about ten years older. Alec guessed him to be about 27 or 28. Alec had never imagined what Magnus would look like older, because it was never going to happen anyway. Seeing the sight in front of him was the most ridiculously crazy thing he could have imagined. Even slightly more crazy, was the fact that Magnus' beauty seemed magnified by the intervening decade.

Nearly-30-Magnus was still looking at him with concern. "Are you okay? What did you dream about?" he asked in a soft voice, reaching for Alec's hand under the covers. Alec registered that he himself was wearing jersey knit pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.

"I…I don't…I was being crushed by something," he stammered, still not believing his eyes.

"You must have finally died," Magnus said.

Alec's head snapped up to look at him. "What?" he cried.

"You know," Magnus said, a stricken look on his face after Alec's outburst. "When you're dreaming and you die, you wake up finally. I've been shaking you for a good ten minutes. You've been yelling and thrashing about so much, I couldn't sleep. I love you and everything, sweetheart, but it's three in the morning and I have to work tomorrow, and so do you. We could both use a decent night's sleep, yeah?"

His face was so open and kind, Alec couldn't do anything but nod. He just couldn't get over it. It was all so incredibly weird.

"Come on, go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning," make-up free Magnus said, leaning in to kiss him on the nose.

"Okay. Goodnight," Alec said dumbly. There was no way he was sleeping right now.

"Goodnight," Magnus said, and turned over, making himself comfortable again and his breathing evening out.

"Magnus," Alec said all of a sudden, startling himself in the darkness.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I love you. More than anything." He just felt compelled to say it, before this whole thing faded into nothing and he lost the chance, even if this Magnus wasn't the same as his own.

"I love you, too." Another kiss, this time a chaste peck on the lips, and he rolled over again. Alec could tell he drifted off in a matter of seconds.

After he was sure older Magnus was asleep, Alec decided he needed a drink of water, if only to jolt him fully awake. He slowly slid out of the bed and crept towards where he remembered the door in Magnus' bedroom to be. But when he got there, he couldn't find the knob. He felt around over and over, moving along the wall until he knew for sure he was in the completely wrong place. But suddenly, his hand ran over a doorframe and after that, a knob. Odd.

He opened the door, turning to go down the hall and smacking into a wall. He tried not to let out a yelp as his nose connected with plaster, and he turned around in the other direction, finding no barrier. It seemed like the whole apartment was turned around.

Slowly, he made his way down a hall that seemed way too long to be in Magnus' apartment. When he reached an opening archway, he felt around on the wall next to him until he found the light switch. He flipped it on, and his jaw dropped.

**Mwahahahah! Are you interested now? I'll allow you to have your speculations in the reviews, but I'm not telling anyone anything. Although I wouldn't encourage speculation just yet, because honestly if you just read this chapter, it makes no damn sense. The actual situation might dawn on you after 3 or 4 chapters though. If not, I'll give you guys hints and such. I'm really taking my meta writing to the next level with this one, and I'm taking my time with it because it's complicated. But, in the meantime, I really hope you guys enjoy it. And I hope I relieve some of the death threat craziness that set in at the end of the first story.**

**As always, reviews are LOVE. Please. I need all the love I can get.**

**New chap of MLG will prolly go up tomorrow night, just lettin' ya know.**


	2. Can I Borrow This?

**Good evening, all. Thought you'd like some more of this. Here's hoping it makes a teeeeeny tiny bit more sense. If not, it will later. As promised, if most of you are still baffled after about four chaps, I'll give a hint. **

**I own absolutely nothing. Cassie is the (wo)man.**

**Chapter Song: Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting by Elton John (yes. Go ahead, read, and imagine it. It would be downright bizarre, right? If I make no sense, read on.)**

He found himself gasping for breath, trying to get hold of his senses. He felt nothing but absolute emptiness. Like he'd felt when he didn't have a soul, but much worse. His entire chest cavity felt vacated. He couldn't understand where the feeling was coming from. He'd been fine one minute, the next he felt as if his torso was collapsing in. He tried to think back to the moments before this awful feeling.

And then it hit him like a ton of bricks, knocking the breath out of him again. Alec. Alec was dead. Because of him.

Pain. So much pain. Even if he didn't have a heart now, he could still feel it breaking. Literally ripping apart. But that was impossible. He'd done the spell, and obviously it had worked. He was here, without a heart. That must mean Alec was okay. This eased a bit of his hysteria, but not much. He didn't know how much he'd miss Alec for eternity until he actually began to think about the implications of what he'd done.

But Alec would live on. And have a normal life.

As a half demon monster like himself.

But that was necessary, he told himself. No one else could do it. He tried to comfort himself with the fact that he'd saved Alec. Hopefully. What if it hadn't worked? And Alec was still dead? And Magnus was here, and Alec was somewhere else? That made total sense. He was half demon, Alec had angel blood. How could one possibly assume they would be headed to the same place? Magnus' empty chest caved in a little more.

He tried to ignore the horrible feeling in his empty body. He looked around himself. Well, this was odd. It didn't look like hell. It looked like that scene in The Matrix where there are two chairs and a TV sitting in a white room. Except this room was blue. Come to think of it, he'd know that blue anywhere. He was literally surrounded by the clear ocean blue of Alec's eyes. His heart, had it been inside him, would have clenched at the realization.

Upon further inspection, he noticed a door about 50 feet away from him, set into the deep blue abyss. The view played with his senses because he saw the door, but it looked like it was standing alone in the middle of the room, but he knew somehow that it was set in a wall. He began to pace forward toward it wearily. As he walked, it seemed to get further and further away, but still came closer inch by inch. It made his eyes hurt and made him dizzy.

When he finally reached it, he carefully extended his hand to it, thinking it was going to shock him or something. Then he pulled back his hand abruptly. He had thought of something.

Did he still have magic in this place? Or was he dead all over, not keeping any semblance of his former power? He decided to test it.

He flicked his wrist slightly, and the doorknob turned. Huh, well that's interesting. And handy, he allowed. He pulled back with his fingers, and the door opened toward him. Through the growing crack, he could hear shouting, and a loud banging. As he listened further, he realized the shouting was actually very off-key singing, and the banging was an electric guitar competing with background drums.

The door slid open all the way, and he was thrust into a different room where the music and the singing was nearly deafening. On second glance, he noticed two things: One, that he was in his Brooklyn apartment, coming through a door as if he was emerging from the bathroom. Two, he felt like he'd just showered; his hair was wet and he was in nothing but his silk kimono.

He couldn't comprehend much beyond that because of the infernal racket. He realized it was Elton John, being drowned out by a voice coming from his closet. When he moved to look toward said closet, a pair of pants came flying out at him. Now, his clothes had been known to dart about and evade him once in a while, especially when he was late for this or that party, but it was usually him doing it with his magic, throwing them about in frustration. But he'd had nothing to do with the pants, or the silvery silk shirt that came hurtling at him next. It landed on his face and he reached up and threw it to the ground. This was getting ridiculous.

He was about to go in and investigate why his clothes were attacking him (and why on earth he was back in his apartment if he was, in fact, dead), when he was startled by a figure popping out of the large walk in closet.

"Can I borrow—What the hell, Magnus? You haven't even dried your _hair_ yet? Jesus we're going to be late!"

Magnus was utterly dumbfounded, though he couldn't decide which part of this scene was more disturbing: the fact that Alec was standing in front of him (despite the fact that he was dead the last time he saw him), or that he was holding a bright purple, very tight and _very sparkly_ tank top in his right hand, or that his left hand was now on his hip and he was looking at Magnus with a surprised/annoyed expression. His tapping right foot (which was…polished…with…silver toes?) completed the look. Magnus didn't dare say a word. He didn't think he could find the voice to speak at such a moment.

"Hell-_oo-_oo!" Alec snapped his fingers in front of his face, as if trying to wake him up from a trance. "Seriously, baby! You take way too damn long. I've been out of the shower for fucking ages, and you've just been farting around! Don't you know it's rude to be late to a wedding? Jesus!" Magnus had never, ever seen Alec this animated before. It was entirely bizarre. Alec had huffed back into the closet, only to come back out ten seconds later, still carrying the purple tank top of Magnus'. "By the way, can I borrow this? I haven't gotten anything new in ages and you haven't worn it yet, so I can kind of claim I bought it for the wedding. I feel bad that I didn't get a new outfit for the occasion, but I just didn't have the time!" He seemed so upset that he hadn't gone shopping. Magnus was trying desperately to reconcile his memories of his shy, tattered sweater wearing Shadowhunter with this diva-like lunatic, but he just couldn't do it.

After a few silent moments, with Alec looking at him and waiting for an answer about the shirt, Magnus found his voice. "Um…who…who's wedding is it, again?"

Alec gave a glorious eye roll and sighed theatrically. It was so unnerving to see Alec so animated that Magnus stepped back a little when Alec came toward him, as if touching him would cause some kind of shock. But Alec closed the distance and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Jesus Christ, Magnus. Have you been dipping into the Faerie vodka again? You're decidedly forgetful lately. Today is Jennabelle's wedding. You know, _Jen_? My _niece_?" he emphasized, like he expected Magnus to recognize the name immediately. At his hesitation, Alec dropped the shirt onto the bed and moved up close, peering in Magnus' eyes. "Okay, you've either been in the vodka, or you're using that weird stuff that Australian sold you. God, Magnus! When will you stop trusting random werewolves and their weird-ass weed? Seriously!" And seriously was said with such a long first 's', sounding decidedly drag-queenish, that Magnus had finally hit his limit.

"What the fuck is going on?" he accused. But Alec didn't hear a damn word he said. He had huffed back into the closet, resuming singing Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting at a ridiculously off-kilter key, completely obscuring Elton's voice coming out of the stereo. How did he even know who Elton John was? This was too much. Magnus sat down on the bed with a great exhalation of air.

He continued to mull over what the hell could be going on, but after a good 20 minutes, he'd come up with nothing, and his hair was nearly dry. He got up and went back to the bathroom, his nature not letting him let go the fact that when his hair air-dried, it got unbelievably frizzy. He took a look at himself in the mirror, confirming his hunch. He immediately switched on his flat iron and hunted about for heat protectant product to spritz his hair with. It wasn't lost on him that he was doing these normal, everyday things amidst this insane chaos, but he couldn't help hoping that if he did normal things, things would go back to normal. So, he began to straighten his hair, if for no other reason than to distract himself.

Ten minutes later, Alec came barging in the bathroom, fully dressed. Magnus' jaw fell, and he nearly dropped the GHD straightner he was holding.

Alec was clad in the tank top he'd borrowed, plus skin tight black leather pants that looked vaguely familiar to Magnus. Over the sparkly tank top was a fitted black blazer with hundreds of rhinestones covering the lapels. The look was topped off by a silky silver loose tie and a large diamond in his left ear. Magnus gaped. Despite his shock, he had to fight the burgeoning erection underneath his thin kimono.

"You…you picked this out yourself?" he asked incredulously. This seemed to elicit a very hurt expression from Alec, but he hid it quickly.

"Look, I know I'm not as good at attiring myself as you are, but don't make it worse. This is the jacket I wore last month to that party in Jersey, and this tie is from Mardi Gras. I'm just hoping to God that with your shirt, no one will notice that I've worn them before. How _embarrassing_," he enunciated, with a horrified expression. "But I plan on jazzing it up a bit to hide the old pieces. You know what they say: it's all in the accessories." And with that, he proceeded to open drawer after drawer filled with various necklaces, bracelets, and rings, holding up this or that and seeing how well it matched. He finally decided on a couple of necklaces and a purple leather cuff. Magnus did notice that he had a glittering diamond Eternity band on his left ring finger. Looking down, Magnus discovered an identical band on his own hand. The one small pinprick of light in this abysmal chaos.

But that wasn't true. Alec was here, even if he was a bizarre gay pride lunatic at the moment. His blue eyes, if it was possible, were brighter than Magnus had ever seen them, and he was currently outlining them in rich black kohl with an expert hand. The addition of the dark ring made his eyes look immediately more sensual, and again Magnus had to fight down a semi-erection. Alec then began to rub a bit of styling wax between his fingers. He then ran them haphazardly through his hair, pulling at random strands, making his hair look exquisitely messy and sexy. He played until he had it just right, then turned to look at Magnus.

"Are you okay?" he asked, slowing down and, for the first time, seeming to notice Magnus was uncomfortable about something.

But Magnus had just come to the realization that this could be a dream come true, seeing Alec again. And he was prepared to ride this one for as long as it would last, because he had no idea how much time he'd been given. If he was going back to hell soon, he would soak up all he was offered.

"Sure, sweetness," he said, only faltering a little. "Just lemme do my makeup and I'll throw something on. Give me half an hour."

"Alright. I'm gonna go call Clary and tell her we'll be on our way in a minute. She must be freaking out!" And with that, he pecked Magnus on the forehead and bounded out of the room.

Magnus looked at himself in the mirror, and felt his determination solidify. He reached over and grabbed his pot of silver glitter, and went to work.

**Freaked out yet? I figured you would be. Okay, let it go for a couple more chapters before you're all, OMG I DON'T UNDERSTAND! And please with the "Alec's WAYYY too OOC! What the fuck are you thinking?" There is a rhyme and reason for every single detail in this story. It took me so long to start it because I had to hammer out all the nuances and such. So give me some credit. I know what I'm doing. Oh, and don't imagine Alec's voice all high pitched and everything, just because of the way he acts. He's still Alec, just…oh, you know. More…vibrant.**

**And that sounded like such a rant. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to! I love you guys. Reviews are like cookies, and fat girls love cookies. Yum.**


	3. A Mundane Morning

**Aloha! Well here's your chapter for my late late update to MLG last night. Hope you enjoy the weirdness.**

**I don't own them. Cassandra Clare is the original mastermind. **

**Chapter song: Get Away by Film (Love that song. And a little calm, a little on edge, like this chappie)**

Alec looked around in disbelief. The living room he'd walked into was entirely too big, too neutral toned, and way too clean to be Magnus' apartment. There was a chocolate brown leather couch where the furry pink one was supposed to be. In place of the loud, rainbow striped curtains were tapestry drapes in a deep wine color. There was an oriental rug on the floor, but it didn't look near as old as the one that adorned the worn wood in Magnus' apartment.

His gaze was caught by the coat rack next to the door. There were two black coats hanging on it, identical except that one was clearly made for a taller person. Why on earth would Magnus have a coat identical to Alec's? There was something desperately wrong with this picture. He strode over to the door, which was made of thick oak and had a leaded glass window cut into it. He grasped the brass handle and opened it.

Okay. This was definitely weird.

First, he was taken aback by the fact that the front door opened straight onto the street, whereas Magnus' door led out to a rickety flight of stairs. He stared up and down the quaint avenue. It looked very peaceful and serene in the dark, the old fashioned streetlamps glowing reassuringly. There was not a single sound of a police car, or the thumping bass of a nightclub, or a shouting restaurant manager; not a single Brooklyn-esque sound could be heard. Puzzled, Alec went back inside and closed the door. It was like he was transported into Pleasantville.

As he ventured back down the too-long hallway to the bedroom, he realized that, so far, the only Magnus thing about the house was the comforter: it was still the familiar canary yellow. It matched the room which, honestly, didn't make much sense. Magnus' room had always been a mismatched rainbow of sparkle and glitter. From what he could tell in the dark, the bedroom was bright, but it was restricted to yellows, muted greens, and rich browns. He stood in the doorway for a moment, surveying the scene.

Magnus was sound asleep, his ribs rising and falling in rhythm as he lay on his side facing the window. Alec noticed another crucial detail: there was no vanity in the corner. At home, Magnus had a huge vanity with a mirror that spanned the length of the wall across from the bed. It was always covered with all manner of pots and jars of makeup and glitter and hair gel. But it was nowhere to be found in this room. This room was also immaculately clean, which was completely out of the ordinary. Even though Alec thought Magnus' apartment was filthy half the time, he acknowledged that it looked _lived-in_. This, however, looked like an overgrown hotel room.

He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He snooped in a few drawers, coming up with what he expected: nothing. No makeup of any kind. He did find a half used bottle of generic hair gel, which he assumed was his. Magnus only used name brand stuff that cost a fortune.

Then, he looked in the mirror. His hand came up slowly to his face, running his fingertips over his jaw, up to his hairline, and over his nose and mouth. He was feeling to make sure this face was real, because it certainly didn't look like his. Well, that wasn't true. It looked like him, just…_older_. Like Magnus, he seemed to have aged a good ten years. His hair was still shaggy, but decidedly shorter, and no longer hung in his eyes. His features were a little more soft, the sharpness of youth fading away already. He had dark circles under his eyes. What's more, he looked down and noticed his chest and arms were not nearly as defined as they used to be. He looked in shape, but not like the cut, muscular warrior he remembered.

He decided he'd better get back to bed, considering Magnus had said he had to work tomorrow. He wondered if there was a meeting with the Clave or his mother or something going on tomorrow. He couldn't imagine what else Magnus could mean. Suddenly, he was reminded of how his Marks had looked when he'd first woken up in the weird room of yellow. They had been burned from the inside out, looking like haphazard scorch marks with no meaning to them. He looked down at his arms and his blood ran cold.

There was nothing, not even scars. His arms were smooth and unmarked. He went back to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, pulling his shirt aside to glance at his neck and chest. Again, nothing. It was like he was a regular mundane. He was thoroughly confused now.

He trudged back to the bedroom, climbing into bed as gently as he could, so he didn't wake Magnus again. He took one last look at the older Magnus, with his shorn hair and smooth, uncovered skin. He had to admit, this Magnus was just as beautiful, if not more so, than his "younger" counterpart.

Alec scooted over and put his arm around Magnus' waist, spooning up against him. He reveled in the warmth of his long, slender body, and soon Alec was fast asleep.

* * *

He awoke to the nose burning smell of strong black coffee. He rolled out of bed and stretched. His odd predicament was abruptly brought back to the forefront of his mind as he took in the room. He noticed he was alone in bed, which wouldn't have irked him except that the clock indicated that it was 6 a.m. and he'd never known Magnus to crack an eye before noon. He chose to put that off for later, and shuffled to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and ran his wet hands through his hair. He gave his upper half the Alec seal of approval (which constituted looking at least mildly presentable), and padded back down the long hallway, following the smell into the kitchen.

He was struck dumb by what he saw. Could it get any weirder?

He stood in the archway to the enormous kitchen, done in a generic wine theme. Cute little dishtowels hung from the oven handle, and a bouquet of flowers sat atop the little breakfast table. There was a steaming pot of coffee brewing, and Magnus stood at the counter, buttering a piece of toast. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks that fit _normally_, not skin tight. He had on an olive green button-down dress shirt, the cuffs still undone. When he heard Alec's approach, he turned around and Alec noticed he had a very drab looking (at least for Magnus) tie draped around his neck, the loose ends framing his open collar.

"Morning, babe. Sorry I didn't wake you when the alarm went off, but I thought you could use an extra half hour. Did you get back to sleep okay?" His voice was so sweet and considerate, like nothing was wrong at all. Except that there was not a teasing tone to be found in it, and there was _always_ teasing when he was talking to Alec, especially anything that vaguely referred to a bed, bedroom, or sleeping.

"Uh, yeah I did. Thanks for hitting the snooze for me," he said, trying to play along. He wasn't quite sure if he should confront this Magnus about this incredibly odd situation just yet.

"That's good. Wouldn't want to miss your big meeting this morning on account of dozing off in the middle of the presentation," he said with a small smile. This was his idea of teasing? It was way too normal.

"Right the, uh…presentation. I forgot…what time does it start, again?" Alec asked, trying desperately to figure out where it was he was supposed to be.

"Eight a.m. sharp," Magnus said, with a weary look in his eye. "You _must_ be stressed. I don't think you've forgotten to remind me about this particular day pretty much every day for the past two weeks. But you'll do fine, I promise." He put down his toast and walked over to Alec. Alec assumed Magnus would push his hands into Alec's hair and draw him in for a passionate kiss. It seemed the kind of thing Magnus would do because, well, he did it often and whenever he could find the excuse. But this Magnus came up to him and placed an arm loosely around his shoulder and swept a chaste kiss across his cheek. Then, he turned and picked up his toast and a cup of freshly brewed coffee (black? So unlike Magnus), and made his way into the living room, sitting down on the big leather couch.

He looked back at Alec, who was still standing in the entrance to the kitchen, with a little puzzlement. "Did you want me to fix you something for breakfast?" he asked slowly, confused at Alec's behavior.

"No, no. I'm fine, it's just…I'm…nervous I guess," Alec offered lamely. He unglued himself from his spot and poured himself a cup of coffee, hoping it would jolt him awake enough to remember what this presentation was supposed to be about, and where he was expected to give it.

"Well, it's almost six-thirty," Magnus said from the living room, his eyes on the TV. "You'd better get ready if you want to make it to the office in time to set up."

Alec figured this was true, even though he had no idea where "the office" was. He had no idea where this house was that they lived in. He made his way back to the bedroom to get dressed. "How long do you think it'll take to get there?" Alec called, knowing he must sound stupid but hoping Magnus wouldn't comment.

There was a confused silence from the living room that lasted about 10 seconds before, "Well, you've got to drive to the Metro station, then hop the train, get to Manhattan, then get a taxi to the building. Then factor in the 14 floors in the elevator. It usually takes you about an hour and twenty minutes."

Alec looked at the clock on the nightstand again. "Shit." He hurried into the closet, trying to decipher which clothes were his and which were Magnus' (a problem he had never had before in his life). He finally came out with a burgundy dress shirt and gray slacks. He slipped into a pair of black shiny dress shoes and went back out to the living room, but he didn't find Magnus. He turned back into the hallway, and noticed the bathroom light on through the cracked door.

Magnus was in front of the mirror, his cuffs and collar now securely fastened, and he was working on his tie. It was such a bizarre sight to see Magnus doing something as mundane as tying a tie. When he'd finished, he fished out the generic bottle of hair gel. He squirted a quarter sized amount into his palm (the smallest amount of hair gel Alec had ever seen him use) and began to work his hands through his hair. It took him all of five minutes, and when he was done, his short hair looked messily neat. It wasn't spiked or glittered, but just unkempt enough to look normal, which was so incredibly abnormal.

He noticed Alec standing in the doorway and smiled a sweet smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You look nice. You'll knock 'em dead, Mr. Future Partner," he said. He then made his way out of the bathroom, brushing past Alec a little stiffly (for Magnus at least). It almost seemed like he was afraid to touch him. That was so odd, Alec couldn't even begin to decipher it.

Alec went back into the living room and noticed a pile of important looking large portfolios beside the front door. He assumed these were his, for his _presentation_. He thought about looking at them to see what it was about, but Magnus returned, now clad in a black suit jacket and carrying a large black leather portfolio.

"Alright, off to put my unending charm to good use," Magnus said as he made his way to a door next to the kitchen.

"Doing what, exactly?" Alec asked before he thought about it.

"Selling drugs of course," Magnus quipped, his hand going for the handle. He stopped when he saw Alec's stricken look of supreme confusion. "Pharmaceutical Rep?" Magnus said, pointing to himself. "Remember? Man, Alec. You really need to get this presentation over with. I think all the stress has given you acute amnesia," he said. He turned the handle and the door opened into a garage, housing two nearly identical black sedans. On second look, one was a small Lexus, the other a larger Cadillac. Magnus turned back to place a quick peck on Alec's lips and made his way over to the Lexus, clicking it open with his keys and climbing behind the driver's seat. At least one small detail was the same: Magnus was still the (however slightly) flashier one. The Cadillac was by no means frumpy, but it did look infinitely more practical. Alec should have guessed it would be his.

Magnus opened the garage door and started his car. When he noticed Alec still standing in the doorway, he rolled down his window. "Your keys are on the kitchen counter," he called, then rolled his window back up.

On impulse, Alec waved at him, making a small kissing motion with his lips. Magnus looked a little startled, and looked around in distress, even though he was still in the garage. Finally, apparently deciding it was safe, he smiled and air-kissed back. He backed out and down the driveway, then sped off.

Alec let out a huge sigh, and went into the kitchen to grab his keys, which were exactly where Magnus said they'd be. He gathered up the portfolio pile in front of the door and made his way into the garage to his car. He tried desperately to remember how to drive a car (he and Izzy had been roped into stealing one by Jace when they were about 13, and he'd ended up driving for their little joyride, for which they never got caught after they returned the car to the alley where they'd found it). He slid behind the driver's seat and suddenly panicked: he didn't know where he was, let alone how to get to the nearest Metro station.

His fear was quelled by his noticing the GPS built into the dash. He turned it on and sure enough, it showed him where he was. It seemed as if he was on the south end of Guttenberg. They lived in New Jersey? That was a sad fact. They were much more boring than he'd originally thought, apparently. He started the car and watched as a window flashed on the screen. It asked him if he wanted to go to his most recent programmed destination which was…yes! The 8th Avenue Metro station. He punched yes, and the car told him to begin driving left out of the driveway.

He followed the instructions to the station, boarded the train, and started rifling through the papers he had to find some clue as to where he went from here. Printed on a sort of cover sheet was what looked like a company name: Ravenscar & Morgenstern. Dear Angel, he didn't work for… He would have to tackle that later. He looked about for more information, finding the name of a building he recognized as being in the Financial District in Manhattan. When he arrived in the city, he hailed a taxi and directed him to that building.

He remembered Magnus' comment about 14 floors, and punched the number 14 when he boarded the overcrowded elevator. This mundane job stuff was becoming awfully weird and off-putting, but he pressed on. He just kept reminding himself that apparently, he'd been given a second chance, and he wasn't going to waste it by complaining about his line of work.

That lasted until he arrived on the appropriate floor and discerned that Ravenscar & Morgenstern was an accounting firm. Accounting? _Really?_ Could he get any more boring? But again, he pushed the whining part of his brain down. He had Magnus to come home to, didn't he? He could deal with a little boring workday duties. He lifted his head as he came out of the elevator, and ran smack into Jace.

**Oh dear. Alec, an accountant? What's more…what the hell is Jace doing there? Hmm…We shall figure this out sooner or later.**

**I still love you guys, if you still love me. Please tell me…REVIEW!**


	4. Raise Your Glass

**So So So incredibly sorry for not posting this last night! I got back from my meeting and totally passed out on my bed. I've been hitting the books hard this week, though I love you guys so I still find time to appease you with weirdness like this. I loved all the "I'm so fkn confused!" reviews I got on the last chapter lol. And just for those of you wondering, Magnus (in Alec's "boring" world) isn't still in the closet. That's not really the problem. You'll see later. **

**Cassandra Clare owns these wonderful characters. I just put them in weird, effed up situations like this.**

**Chapter Song: Raise Your Glass by Pink (I plan on dancing to this at MY wedding. LOVE. THIS. SONG.)**

In the end, Magnus ended up dressed to the nines. It was a wedding after all, even if he didn't have the slightest clue who Jennabelle was. He was clad in a pair of burgundy skinny jeans that had a shiny waxy coating, a charcoal silver button-down dress shirt, and a black jacket that looked a lot like Alec's, without the rhinestones. He accessorized with plenty of rings and necklaces, and his makeup was understated but flashy, consisting of silver glitter liner around his eyes, a gazillion coats of mascara, and three earrings in each ear. His hair was in its usual mile high spikes, shot through with subtle burgundy glitter that matched his pants. His shoes were shiny silver boots.

As promised, he was ready in a half hour. He came out into the living room to find Alec rushing around trying to wrap a large box on the kitchen table. His fingers were stuck together with tape and he had a forlorn look on his angel face. Magnus had chuckle just a little.

"Help?" Alec asked with the same adorable look. Magnus snapped his fingers and the box automatically went from shrouded in ripping paper to being perfectly wrapped with a huge purple bow on top. "Thanks," Alec said gratefully. "I totally forgot to wrap this last night! I blame you," he smirked, one eyebrow rising.

"Excuse me?" Magnus asked.

"Well, I was a teeny bit distracted by a certain remarkable male sexual organ…" he grabbed Magnus through his jeans, making him gasp, "…pounding ever so forcefully into my precious rear-end last night." He was right up against Magnus now, whispering in his ear in a sultry voice. "I swear, if I stroll in that church walking this funny, I'm going to be redder than the roses. But then again, that's my involuntary way of teasing _you_, isn't it?" he asked with another tug at Magnus' groin. Magnus had to admit, seeing Alec blush was a nice aphrodisiac.

Magnus couldn't resist. He pulled Alec into a tight embrace from the waist and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Alec willingly obliged, letting himself be driven by the force of Magnus' tongue inside his mouth. When Magnus pulled away for breath, Alec smiled and he nearly went weak at the knees. It seemed that even gay-pride-parade Alec had retained the same dazzling smile as the normal one.

"Come on! We've got to get going! We still have to help Jen get ready. I promised we'd be there in time to at least take pictures and things like that. She also wants you to do her makeup, so grab your stuff, 'kay?"

Magnus was past disbelief now, so he just followed orders. When he returned from getting his makeup from the bathroom, he asked, "By the way, what did we get her?"

Alec's face lit up for a moment while he explained. "Well, see, there's nothing actually _in_ the box. Well, besides the plane tickets and the paper with the hotel reservations on it. Remember? We decided to send them to Rio for their honeymoon? Jen talks about it all the time and Carson loves the tropics, so it seemed like a good fit. I hope they like it!"

Magnus couldn't help but smile at Alec's enthusiasm. He didn't know why his new Alec had turned out like this, but he was starting to get over the initial shock and just enjoy it.

One thing did irk him, however. He noticed something different about Alec's hands. He tried to study them further, but he was flitting around so fast that Magnus couldn't get a good look. He chose to shelve the notion for now, and pick it up later. It was time to leave.

They went out to the curb to find a lime green Audi TT parked in front of Magnus' apartment. Alec promptly shoved the box and Magnus' makeup into the trunk and hopped in the passenger side. Magnus took this as his cue to drive, and slid behind the wheel, starting the car with a flick of his wrist. He had to admit, his alternate self had made an astoundingly good choice of vehicle. With one last odd-seeming question of where they were actually headed (with the answer being astoundingly obvious), they sped off toward Manhattan, and the Institute.

He'd been here so many times on business with Shadowhunters that it often slipped his mind that their headquarters were always in churches. It seemed the quintessential place to have a Shadowhunter wedding, when you thought about it. They pulled up in front and parked on the street. Alec went around to get the goods out of the trunk, and Magnus went to join him on the sidewalk after one last look in the mirror.

When he reached Alec, his…_husband_…(it was so weird and pleasant calling him that, even in his head. But it seemed obvious from their matching jewelry) shifted the nearly empty box to one arm and immediately captured Magnus' hand with the other, squeezing tightly and reassuringly. He gave Magnus his best big, blue-eyed smile, and they ascended the steps together.

When they reached the doors, Alec did something very strange: he knocked and waited. Magnus thought it could have been courtesy, but this used to be his home after all. Why didn't he just enter? Any Shadowhunter should be able to walk right in. But he didn't have too much time to ponder the situation before the huge doors swung open.

It hadn't occurred to Magnus before now that he'd only gotten a look at Alec since he'd been in this alternate universe. Alec looked the same as he had when he last saw him, and he assumed they'd just picked up where they left off (with the exception of _vibrant_ Alec, of course). But what greeted them at the door was something he never considered: someone who was all at once completely foreign, yet she couldn't be more recognizable.

"By the _Angel_ where have you two _been_?" the woman said, looking between them both.

"Oh shut up, Izzy. You know he takes forever. Has to look his absolute best," Alec said, looking lovingly up at Magnus, who was still staring in disbelief at the woman in front of him.

It was Isabelle Lightwood, alright. Same dark eyes, long raven hair, and sarcastic, privileged expression. On the other hand, she was so strikingly like her mother that he almost wouldn't have believed it wasn't Maryse if Alec hadn't addressed her by his sister's name. She looked to be about 40 years old; still beautiful, but clearly aged a great deal. Her hair wasn't as lustrous as he remembered, having dulled with the passing years, and her figure was a little more filled-out. But it was Isabelle, and she was still looking at them with an aggrieved expression.

"Come on! Jen's been howling for her makeup artist since she got here. She's freaking out. I told her it's just cold feet, but she'll have no more of me. I think she's sick of my face," Isabelle rambled as she pulled them inside and shut the doors behind them. Alec was chuckling; Magnus was still dumbstruck and just followed without a word.

As they walked through the enormous sanctuary he'd traversed a thousand times before, he was in awe. It had been transformed from a run-down cathedral to a wonderland of deep reds, vibrant purples, and stately navy blues. A thousand candles dueled with witchlight torches set all about the room, making light dance against every available reflective surface. There was a long velvety blue carpet running the length of the 50 foot aisle, making it look like a dark river for the bride to sail upon. The room was utterly gorgeous. There were a million other details to behold however, Isabelle and Alec had led him into a side room next to the elevator and his view was obscured.

They entered a small room made of stone, but decorated in the finery of a wedding. Several girls he'd never seen before were littered about, drinking champagne and chattering. He assumed they were bridesmaids, and by the swirling black Marks peeking from their t-shirt collars and at their wrists, he discerned that they were all Shadowhunters. A vanity filled with all manner of hair products and heat tools was in the far corner, a vacated little stool standing in front of it. A beautiful pale lavender gown hung over the door of a large wardrobe. It looked like a traditional wedding dress that had been dyed to the perfect hue of hyacinths. Shadowhunters, after all, wore white to funerals. Therefore, a happy occasion like a wedding called for much less sinister colors. The various other, less elaborate dresses hanging around the room were the deep navy of the aisle runner; he assumed these belonged to the giggling girls.

Before he could take in one more detail, he was bombarded by a pair of arms going around his neck and an affectionate kiss being planted on his cheek. High-pitched squealing rang in his ear. He was startled, but luckily he caught his assailant in his arms when she jumped, or she would have hit the floor. She wrapped her legs around him and squeezed, hard. After a few more kisses and a little more squealing, she let go and sank to the floor.

"I'm so glad you're finally here! Mom and Aunt Izzy have been driving me NUTS!" the girl exclaimed.

"Oh, I see. Don't mind me," Alec said from a few feet away, looking up at the ceiling and feigning hurt.

"Uncle Alec, you know I love you!" the girl said as she shuffled over to give him a hug while he smiled affectionately. "But I've been waiting for Magnus all day! I _need_ you," she intoned, growing serious.

"I'd say we all need you," came a voice from the corner. She was setting out a pair of shoes encrusted with yellow diamonds. Again, Magnus' automatic assumption was that it was Jocelyn, her mother. But as he studied the woman, he knew it was Clary just as he had known it was Isabelle who'd answered the door, and not Maryse. She also looked to be in her late thirties to early forties. Her face was gently lined, but her freckles remained, lending her a younger air than Isabelle. Her fiery hair reached almost to her waist, just like her mother's had. Her green eyes shone with anticipation, nervousness, and love.

"She won't let Isabelle do her makeup, and you know good and well I can't do anything elaborate with hair. I'm kind of a simple girl," she said, blushing just like he remembered.

"Well, that's what I brought him along for," Alec said with a wink.

Magnus was still standing half in the doorway. The others were fussing about anyway, so they didn't notice his reluctance. This was all a little too odd, and it was wearing on him. But the prospect of being needed at such an important time and for something that had nothing whatsoever to do with magic had him slowly making his way to the bride, who had now taken her seat in front of the vanity.

He gazed at Jennabelle. He had to admit she was beautiful. She had her mother's piercing emerald eyes and a light dusting of freckles across her nose, which was reminiscent of Clary's delicate, narrow one. She was also a little shorter than average, like her mother. Her hair, however, was a precise, particular shade of honey-blond, with a slight curl that hung just past her shoulder blades. She had her father's strong jawline and blunt stare, the kind that looked depthless but upon further investigation, could be found to contain the secrets to the innermost workings of her soul. She even had his ever-present tinge of sarcasm at the corners of her eyes, or maybe it was just a trick of the light. He could also see that Jace had trained her well, because beneath the girlish exterior, he could see the defined biceps and strong shoulders of a fighter. She, too, had the vine-like Marks swirling around her collarbone and down her arms.

"I'm here to please, my dear," he said as he approached and stood behind her, running his fingers through her hair contemplatively. "How shall I transform you?"

"I want it neutral on the eyes, so please don't go overboard," she explained with a glint in her green eyes. He smiled mischievously. "I'm serious!" she said with a smile, playfully tapping his hand that rested on her shoulder. "And you can do whatever you want with the hair. Izzy tried so many different things but I didn't like any of them. Nothing seems worthy of Carson! I want him to get his first look at me and faint from the sheer beauty," she said.

She certainly had a little of Jace's confidence mixed in. "Well, I can't really advise that, because how will the wedding go on?" he questioned.

"Well, I guess that's true. But make it so he _almost_ faints. That'll do," she giggled.

As the others milled about the room, Alec talking to Isabelle in low tones (glancing every now and then at his husband the stylist), the other girls chattering longingly about the day they would get such a fabulous wedding (and who their husbands would be), and Clary sitting next to Alec and Isabelle but watching intently as Magnus transformed her daughter from pretty canary to beautiful swan, and fighting back tears the whole time.

When he was finally done, he stepped back and took a long look at his handiwork. "Gorgeous," he said.

"Oh, Magnus. It's…it's…" but Jennabelle couldn't find the words. She touched her face with a soft hand, marveling at her reflection.

"Thank you," he said. He had done as she asked, going pretty neutral with the face. It ended up looking like a subdued version of old Hollywood starlets like Judy Garland, with the thick-ish jet black eyeliner of Elizabeth Taylor. After all, he drew from perfect memory. Her lips were a pale pink pout that looked positively kissable, and he thought Carson was going to have a hard time waiting until the end to devour them. Her hair was the best part. He'd curled it into tiny ringlets before he'd started her makeup, and pinned them tightly to her head. When he'd finished her face, he took them out and gently pulled each coil apart, smoothing them over until they were soft golden waves cascading down her back. He took a yellow diamond barrette that had been Jocelyn's and pulled back one side of her bangs, showing off her lovely face. Since she didn't have a veil, the full beauty of her hair would serve as veil enough.

He turned to Clary, Isabelle, and Alec. "Voila," he said, turning Jen around to face them. All three gasped in approval. However, there was no more time to gape at Jen's transformation, as there was loud and persistent knock on the door.

"You know, we're getting a little antsy out here," said an impatient voice.

"Oh Angel!" Jen gasped under her breath, shooting up out of her seat. "Hold on daddy!" And with that, all the people in the room started to rush around, throwing on dresses and shoes and earrings with fervor. Jen stood next to the wardrobe with her beautiful lavender gown hung over it, looking frantic.

Isabelle looked at Alec and Magnus. "Go stall him!" she said as she shooed them while she and Clary started attempting to get Jen into her elaborate dress.

"Oh, like he'll listen to us," Alec said with an eye roll. But he got up and grabbed Magnus' arm as they slipped out a crack in the door just big enough to fit their slender bodies through, trying to keep the visitor from getting a peek inside.

Again, Magnus was struck dumb, even though he should be used to this by now, and expect it. Jace had also aged close to twenty years. His blond hair, reaching to just below his ears, was already starting to lighten to gray at the temples (no doubt a result of all this wedding business), and there were fine lines radiating from his golden eyes. He had grown into his strength, developing broad shoulders and huge arms that looked like vices. Gone was the lithe teenage body, given way to a slightly enormous presence that was, however, still a little lion-esque. He was taller, but Magnus still towered over him.

Alec stood in front of the door, barring the way. "You're not allowed yet," he said, looking up at his brother.

"By the Angel what is taking so damn long! Actually, on second thought, let her take as long as she wants. Then maybe that little pussy will get discouraged and leave," he retorted.

"Now, Jace. Be nice to him. He's not that bad," Alec tsked.

"Not that bad? He's a little smurf of a guy who claims to be good enough for my Jen. That was his first mistake. There are no men good enough for Jen. Only ones I deem adequately suitable to be in her presence. And he's definitely walking a thin line," Jace said with a scowl.

"Don't be a dick, Jace. He's a great guy. You've known the kid since he was born, and you never had a problem with him before. In fact, you used to say he reminded you of yourself," Alec said with a smirk.

"That was before he basically made a bid to be able to sleep with my daughter for the rest of his life." At his own words, Jace cringed at the thought. Alec and Magnus chuckled. Magnus kept quiet throughout the whole exchange, content to observe the two adoptive brothers.

"You're just having empty nest syndrome. But can't you see she's happy?" Alec said, all of a sudden serious. He looked at Jace imploringly, and Magnus was momentarily struck with a twinge of jealousy. It was automatic, ingrained from so many months of watching Alec pine after Jace. But as he studied them closer, there was nothing in Alec's eyes but brotherly love and affection. There was nothing of the yearning burn that Magnus had seen before, no matter how unrequited. This made him relax a fraction, and he didn't even flinch when Alec took his brother into a reassuring hug.

Jace returned the hug, and the scene struck Magnus as a little odd when he thought about it. Alec, who'd always been an inch or so taller than Jace, was enveloped in his younger brother's huge arms. Jace looked old enough to be his father. But Magnus, who'd dealt with this kind of thing for the past eight centuries, could sympathize. He just wondered how on earth he'd managed (because, instinctively, he knew it had been him) to make Alec stop aging.

Before he could think any more about it, the door swung open and they were allowed to enter again. Magnus' breath was taken away at the sight of Jen in her dress, his handiwork on her only serving to enhance its beauty. Her father, it seemed, had a similar reaction. He just stood there gaping at his daughter with an unreadable look.

"Well, Daddy? Do you like it?" Jennabelle asked as the others in the room waited silently for his response. He didn't say a word, just walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She returned it, and Magnus could see that Jace's shoulders shook ever so slightly. He was almost dumbfounded, but he figured his daughter's wedding day _would_ be the day that he'd finally break and show some emotion. Magnus made the definite assumption that Jennabelle was, in every respect of the phrase, a daddy's girl. He wondered what his and Clary's wedding had been like. He would have to ask Alec.

That brought up another thought: he wondered desperately what _their _wedding day had been like. He was saddened by the fact that he couldn't remember it, that he hadn't been given a set of memories along with this alternate universe he was set into. He wondered if Alec had blushed furiously, if he himself had fumbled over his vows (since he tended to get clumsy and emotional in situations like that, especially if they involved Alec). He made a point to ask Alec about it when they were at home again.

After much fussing over possibly running makeup and a last kiss to the father and daughter from Clary, the room was cleared, and they all went to take their places either in the sanctuary (Magnus, Alec, Clary, and Isabelle) or in the hallways (the bridesmaids and their groomsmen escorts). Magnus and Alec entered the church and Isabelle led them up to the second row, where she scooted in first and allowed just enough room for them on the end. Clary slid into her space in the front row, leaving room for Jace next to her.

Alec grabbed Magnus' hand and looked up lovingly at him. Magnus placed a kiss on his temple and squeezed his hand back. This reminded him of something. He turned their hands over to look more closely at Alec's right hand. He discovered what he'd thought was so out of place earlier: the back of his hand did not have the open eye rune that decorated the hand of every Shadowhunter. Instead, there was a large, puckered scar of roughly the same shape. It was healed completely, but still looked very painful. Magnus' throat caught at the sight, wondering what on earth would cause such a thing to happen. Inconspicuously, he peeked at Alec's collarbone beneath his jacket, and found the barely exposed ends of the Marks there looked the same as his hand. He was reminded of how Alec's Marks had looked when he was being burned from the inside out by Magnus' power. He shivered, and looked up to notice Alec staring at him.

"Now's not the time," he said simply. "Be happy." He looked up at Magnus with a pleading expression that was also full of love, and Magnus let it go for now. The sounds of Pachelbel's Canon in D filled the immense volume of the sanctuary, and everyone rose and turned to see Jennabelle and Jace at the back of the church, both their eyes fixed on the front of the room.

* * *

"I know everyone always looks forward to the actual wedding part, but I'm soooooo glad it's over with," Jen slurred. The rowdy reception (held in the Institute's library, which had been transformed into a nightclub basically) had worn on into the wee hours of the morning, and the smallish group of them left were a tad bit sloshed from all the extra cocktails. All that remained were Jen and Carson (who was a handsome young Shadowhunter that looked suspiciously like a cross between two particular Herondales, with his shaggy black hair and luminous golden eyes, his high cheekbones and haughty, teenage-esque stature. Magnus found out he was a Branwell, which made him all the more interesting to say the least), a couple of bridesmaids and their escorts, Magnus, Alec, and a few of Jen and Carson's closest friends. Magnus chuckled to himself at the fact that he and Alec were THE oldest ones at this wedding (considering Alec was still a full year older than the father of the bride), but they seemed to fit right in so much better with this group of edgy twenty-somethings, and they still looked like two random teenagers stuck in with a bunch of college students. Well, college students who slayed demons in their spare time.

On the table where they were seated haphazardly was the open box from Magnus and Alec, the plane tickets and hotel reservations lying on the navy table cloth. They'd ripped it open first, and Jen had jumped up and down with glee, hugging them both simultaneously. Magnus was now sitting in a chair next to the end across from the newlyweds, with Alec straddling him from behind, his chin resting on Magnus' shoulder and his arms around the warlock's waist. Also strewn across the table were various empty champagne glasses, and a few that were filled with stuff much stronger than champagne.

"Well, I say: a toast to the lovers and here's to hoping they have a fucking fantastic time in Rio!" one of Jen's friends, Shannon, exclaimed while precariously holding up her glass of red wine. Everyone held up their glasses filled with various other strong alcohol, and they all clinked and sipped heartily.

Jen looked at Magnus and Alec, trying to give them a sober expression. "I can't thank you guys enough for helping me plan this. It turned out to be the best wedding ever!" she exclaimed.

"I know, right? How are Jack and I going to top it?" her maid of honor, Rachel, asked.

"You can't," said another bridesmaid, Anna. "Unless you find an equally good set of planners."

"Everyone should have a gay uncle to help them plan the perfect wedding. And you all are doubly jealous, 'cause I have TWO!" Jen boasted, clinking her glass with Magnus' again. It was nice, actually being considered family.

"I say we should have one last dance before calling it a night," said Carson, getting up and offering his hand to his new wife. He was adorably disheveled, having lost his tux jacket somewhere in the reception and his cuffs undone. His wife's garter was still around his upper arm like a gentleman's cuff from the mid-1800s (if gentlemen's cuffs had been pastel lavender in hue and strewn with lace). Jen's makeup was still immaculate, but her waves had straightened out considerably, falling under the sheer weight of the thickness of her hair.

"Uh, Carce?" one of his groomsmen, Kevin, said. "Have you noticed the DJ left, like, three hours ago?"

Alec piped up at this. "Why do you think I bring _him_ everywhere?" he said, placing a sweet kiss on the side of Magnus' neck and offering him an inquiring glance.

"I'm always here to serve," Magnus said with a smile. He snapped his fingers and a set of huge speakers appeared at the front of the room. A stereo system appeared next to them, and it immediately turned on. The speakers crackled to life, and the opening guitar strumming of Pink's Raise Your Glass began wafting through the library. They all jumped out of their seats and began to dance around the room like lunatics.

Alec grabbed Magnus by the hand and swung him around, then pulled him in close and planted a huge wet kiss on his lips, smearing gloss and making Magnus laugh out loud. He hadn't been this happy in a long ass time. Alec had always been so secretive of their relationship, never daring to even give so much as a too-long look in public. But this Alec seemed obsessed with putting the moves on him in public. It was so fun that Magnus almost forgot he was supposed to be dead. As the chorus hit, everyone abandoned conventional dancing for jumping up and down in their own makeshift moshpit, dresses, suits and all. They danced the rest of the song away like the kids they all were at heart.

**Aww. I love weddings. There were a couple of nagging things in this chapter that will be addressed in Magnus' next chapter. Be prepared. I love you all, and I'm sorry again for not posting this yesterday. **

**Please review, cause I need an ego boost, like, bad right now. **


	5. The Third Epiphany

**Hello hello! I'm here to quell your confusion…sort of. I'll drop a hint in this chapter, but it won't be obvious. If you don't catch it, I'll do it again in the next chapter (Magnus). Then, the next two will make it ridiculously obvious. So, enjoy.**

**Also, sorry this is late at night. I was in class until 9pm, and I just now put the finishing touches on this. Wanted to get it out before tomorrow because tomorrow is MLG day!**

**Cassandra Clare owns these lovely boys. I just make them into weird alternate universe prototypes of themselves. Ha.**

**Chapter Song: Tremble for my Beloved by Collective Soul (Love this song! Kind of old, but Twilight fans may recognize…)**

He was too stunned to say anything, so he just stared. Jace, like him and Magnus, had aged considerably. He looked to be about a year or two younger than Alec, which seemed to fit with their previous situation in "real" life.

Alec, however, was not the only one jolted into shock by the encounter, it seemed. Jace—sarcastic, overconfident Jace—seemed to be totally flustered by the unexpected contact. His cheeks burned a ripe red, and he fluttered about before stooping to hastily pick up the few things he had made Alec drop.

"I…I…I'm s-sorry, Alec. I mean, Mr. Lightwood. Just wasn't looking where I was going, I guess," he stuttered; his voice even cracked a little. He handed Alec the folders that he'd dropped and rushed into the waiting elevator. Alec turned back, still too shocked to say anything. He caught Jace's gaze, and tried to decipher it. It looked a little bit like contempt, but contempt laid over something else entirely. Alec stood transfixed, and the elevator door closed before he could figure it out. He remained in the hallway a few seconds longer, still trying to interpret the look in Jace's eyes just now. While he couldn't place it, he knew Jace had never looked at him like that before. But his musings were cut short by a hand grabbing him and yanking him down the hall.

"Where have you been? You've only got ten minutes before we have to be in the conference room!" Alec couldn't believe it. He worked with _Simon_ too? Angel, this couldn't get any worse. However, he felt a slight pull toward the other boy (well, man, considering he followed the same pattern as pretty much everyone else with the aging). Nothing of an attractive nature, mind you, just a pull that indicated a deeper relationship between them. Alec definitely couldn't put his finger on _that_ conundrum. So, he just brushed it off in favor of the crisis at hand: how he was going to give a presentation on something accounting-related in ten minutes.

"Sorry, I was running late this morning," he said lamely as Simon pulled him into an oversized office with dark furnishings and an immaculately clean desk in front of a large picture window.

"Since when is Alexander Lightwood late? You're the most organized person I know!" Simon exclaimed with a friendly pat on the back. Snap! That was it: he felt like Simon was a dear friend who he'd known most of his life. Whoa. He had no earthly idea where that notion had come from, but he felt it as true as the sun's shining rays. He didn't know why, since he'd always found Simon to be pretty annoying; however, he got no feelings of impatience or annoyance now. Weird.

Simon was sitting him down behind the desk (in the office Alec had come to assume was his own), and laying out a few papers in front of him. "These need your sig before they can go out to Mr. Asshole," he said. Alec looked up at him in shock, but otherwise took the pen handed to him and signed the documents. "You gonna be okay today?" Simon asked with a little concern.

"Uh, I honestly don't think so. It's…like…I've forgotten everything all of a sudden," he said. Well, that wasn't a complete lie. He just didn't ever know it in the first place.

"Don't worry, bro. You'll do fine. And you'll make partner, which I'm still pissed about," Simon retorted, but with a smirk on his face. Alec couldn't believe this was Simon. He used to annoy him just by being in the same room, but now he was really starting to feel like a good friend. Huh.

This still didn't solve his problem. "I don't know. I think I'm gonna have to cancel. Maybe reschedule?" _To another day when I know at least one thing about accounting?_

"Are you high? Morgenstern will kill you! I don't think he cares if you have his son under your thumb." Alec didn't know what to make of that. He had no idea what Simon was talking about. "Just take a deep breath, and everything will be fine. Come to think of it, I've never seen you worked up this much over a little presentation. Where's the ridiculously confident Alec I know?" _Uh…who?_

Alec didn't have much time to ponder the fact that Simon actually had him pegged as "confident", because he was once again pulling him by the arm, this time to a large conference room. Gulp.

Luckily, they were the first ones in here; Alec looked around and tried to familiarize himself with his surroundings. Well, actually, what he was really trying to do was stall so he could find some kind of excuse to tell Simon so that he could bail. He definitely was NOT doing this. Not a chance.

All of a sudden, people started coming in. Some gave him friendly nods, others just simply walked right past him and flopped, annoyed-looking, into random chairs. It looked like he might be forced to do this. He couldn't think of anything. A stomach ache, maybe? No, that didn't seem serious enough. A hangover? No, definitely not; no sympathy would come from that.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of Jace walking into the room. He had that same look on his face, the one from the elevator. It was like Jace was angry with him for some reason, but then underneath that was something else. Alec locked eyes with him for several seconds, trying to figure out what on earth could be hiding behind those golden eyes he loved so much. But wait… He thought about that last mental statement. When he looked in Jace's eyes (the rare times he allowed himself, or accidentally locked stares with him), he always felt this flutter in his heart. This unexplainable pull that made him want to rush over and just _touch_ him. But now, as they bored into each other with their eyes, he felt…nothing. Not a damn thing. It was like all his obsessive infatuation with Jace had vanished. That was disorienting, to say the least. When you carry around something for so damn long, it's weird when it's no longer there. The funny thing is, it doesn't seem like it was ever there in the first place.

"God, this love-sick puppy thing is getting old, don't you think?" Simon said, and Alec snapped out of his reverie, embarrassed. But when he looked at Simon, Simon wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was kind of giving Jace the best friend's stink eye, to which Jace responded with a flush, looking down at the table in front of him.

At Simon's comment, another stumbling realization hit him. He knew what it was in Jace's stare. He'd seen it a hundred times before…in the mirror. It was that look of such desperate longing for something you knew you couldn't have. Alec used to look at Jace like that all the time. But why on earth would _Jace_ be looking at _him_ that way? There was no reason. Obviously, they weren't brothers, and Jace couldn't possibly be gay…

"Don't pay attention to his stupid ass. Some people just don't know when to quit. At least he stopped calling you at all hours of the day," Simon said. This was downright ridiculous to think about. Jace? In love with Alec? That was preposterous. Almost as preposterous as Alec not having a single ounce of feeling for Jace. This world just got weirder and weirder. "Do your thing, Ace," was Simon's last words to him, accompanied by a pat on the back, before taking his seat at the big conference table. Alec gulped, big time. He stared out to his audience.

He was about to take the biggest heave of breath he ever had in his life, and just run out like he was sick. But just then a woman appeared at the door.

"Sorry, Mr. Lightwood. Mr. Morgenstern says you'll have to postpone the presentation. The men from the Illinois firm won't be in for another week." As if to provide an explanation for the lateness of such information, she added, "They just saw fit to inform Mr. Morgenstern," accompanied by the tiniest eye roll, and then she flitted out the door.

Alec could have run after her, grabbed her, and kissed her. Okay, maybe not kissed her, but definitely given her the biggest hug he'd ever given a girl that wasn't Isabelle or his mother (who didn't really count as a girl anyway). He felt himself sigh in immense relief as the rest of the group made a collective groan and began to vacate their seats.

* * *

Alec spent the rest of the day pretty much doing nothing in "his" office. He didn't know what was on his usual agenda, so he basically doodled on the desk calendar for about 3 hours. About that time, Simon came back in and they shot the shit for a little bit (still incredibly odd that he does this with Simon), and Simon finally told him that Morgenstern was sending them home for the day, since most of the day was supposed to be taken up by the meeting. This was great news, since Alec was eager to go home (Jersey…) and be by himself for long enough to sort all this craziness out.

Simon left him, but before Alec had a chance to leave, he was startled by a tentative knock on his door. "Come in!" he called, going back to packing up his things.

The door opened and in walked Jace. He stared at the floor while he stepped inside the office and leaned back on the door to shut it with an audible click that seemed to ring for a good 2 minutes after. Alec couldn't do anything but stare at him, because to be honest, this Jace kind of freaked him out.

"Look, Alec. I just want you to know that I'm not going back on our agreement. You told me it was over and to leave you alone, and I completely respect that." Alec was too stunned to stop him. "Which is why I'm telling my father that I'm resigning. I…I just can't be around you anymore, Alec. It's too painful." He seemed to be on a roll now, his words tumbling out as if they'd been held back for a long time. "I gave a good try. I mean, I tried for three years! I just can't do it anymore. Every time I see you I can't help but think about that night, and it kills me. I know you're back with that other guy now, so I'm done, Alec. I'm just done."

Alec didn't know how to process this. Apparently, he and Jace had some kind of past. A relationship? Surely not. But then, he was all of a sudden bombarded by a mental picture of him and Jace, on a huge bear rug in front of a fire, completely naked and pressed into one another. They were kissing furiously, Jace underneath him, moaning as if Alec was giving him air to breath and he couldn't live without it. He knew instinctively that Jace had sought him out, that Jace had confessed a deep devotion for him. However, he also knew that at the time, he felt the same as he does now: nothing. He used him. Used him to get back at Magnus.

And just like that, the vision was gone. Was that a memory? It was vivid, and his body felt the memory as well as his mind. He stood stock still as he leveled his gaze at Jace.

"I don't think you should quit your job because of me. Plus, you have Clary," Alec said, hoping to jog Jace's memory. But by the look on his face, Alec knew it'd backfired.

"_Clary_? From Human Resources? What would I want with her? Alec, I love _you_. I always will, no matter how you used me. I don't care."

Alec was backpedaling now. "Jace, you need to be rational about this. Don't quit your job. In fact, why don't we…take some time apart? I'm going to go on vacation for a while, so you can focus on…getting…over me." This was so odd to say. But he didn't want Jace (even this alternate universe Jace) to alter his entire life because of something alternate universe Alec did three years ago.

"I don't think that's going to solve anything," said Jace, forlorn. He was still looking at Alec with that desperate, lovesick look, except now it wasn't diluted by contempt. Alec guessed it was because they were alone. It was pathetic to look at, really. He wondered if that was what he always looked like. He shuddered.

"Just give it a little while, okay? It will get better, or you'll just get used to it," Alec offered. He was definitely speaking from experience.

He sighed a heavy, heartbroken sigh. "I'll try. But no promises," Jace said, and turned to go.

"Jace?" He turned slowly, seeming to almost internally swoon at Alec's mention of his name. Alec cringed at the thought. "I'm sorry, for back then." There, he felt a little better about it, although not much.

Jace just offered him a small shrug, and exited the office with his head hung low and his shoulders slouched in defeat. Alec couldn't ponder the situation any long; he had to get out.

He repeated the trek from this morning in reverse, taking a taxi to the Metro station, getting on the train, getting off at the station where he was parked, getting in his car and (using the GPS again), driving back to New Jersey and his home with Magnus. He didn't really notice the world roll by as he drove, occupying himself with thoughts of the run-ins he'd had today. Simon. Jace. Apparently, nearly Valentine. This world was entirely turned on its head in most ways.

All of a sudden, he slammed on his brakes. Luckily, he was on a deserted residential street. In fact, he was on _his_ street, a few houses down from his own. He stared out the windshield. He couldn't believe his eyes. He drove carefully down to his house, the monstrosity getting closer with each rotation of his tires. He drove up his driveway, into the garage. Then, he came out of the garage and around to the side of the house, where the gate to the backyard was (he had a backyard!). He looked up at it in awe, not really believing his own eyes.

There, in his backyard, was a gigantic blow-up Batman bouncy thing. Like, those things you get in and walk around and every time some fat kid got in, all the smaller kids would be tossed about by the counter weight. A moon walk, that's what it was called. There was a giant Batman moon walk in his backyard. He'd always wished for a giant Batman moon walk when he was younger. He was so jealous of mundanes and their birthday parties with the huge things. And his would definitely have to be Batman, because sometimes, he felt like his job was a lot like Batman's: running around the city with cool weapons, saving the world, but never getting credit for it (at least Bruce Wayne really didn't).

And then, he had his third epiphany of the day, but this one was definitely the strongest yet. It was monumental. Suddenly, the entire bizarre day made perfect sense.

**Okay. So. I'm not even gonna say anything. If you're still confused, I'll drop it again in Magnus' chapter next. Hope you enjoyed the weirdness, as usual. And I'll post Misery Loves Glamour tomorrow. Review please! Love.**

**Feel free to speculate freely now. I enjoy seeing your ideas, though I'm guessing a lot of people will get it after this…**


	6. He'd Had Some Doozies But

**Well..um…Hai. I'm not dead. Just wanted to let you guys know. I might as well be, but I'm not. It's been a fkn crazy few weeks, and it aint over. But I decided to take a sabbatical from the books to bring you an update. Gah I miss you guys. **

**So yeah, if you read MLG, I told you guys there was a hint in the last chapter of this and most of you have caught on. For those of you still confused, I'll drop the same kind of hint in this chapter. **

**Chapter Song: Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam (If you haven't ever heard this song, shame on you. If you've heard it and are confused, then Wikipedia it and look at the description of the lyrics and their possible meaning. Then, in a roundabout way, you might know why I chose it. It's not literal, but it's a nice parallel.)**

The drive home was peaceful, a glaring contradiction to the past…however many hours they'd been at the Institute. Jen and Carson were crashing in her old room, due at the airport at 7a.m. He hated to be them; he'd have never gotten up that early for anything, not even a honeymoon.

Which reminded him, however, what had _their_ honeymoon had been like? Where had they gone? When did they get married? How had they gotten engaged? Who asked who? All these questions and more were swimming around in his mind, but he kept them to himself lest Alec get weirded out that he didn't remember his own wedding.

Most of the way back to Magnus' apartment was spent holding hands in silence, letting the soft sounds of mellow radio waft through the car. Every now and then, at a red light, Alec would squeeze his hand gently and lean in for a quick kiss. Magnus couldn't help but smile every time. They finally drove up in front of his apartment, and he parked on the curb. Alec got out onto the sidewalk and Magnus met him, getting his hand caught in Alec's once again. They walked up the steps, entered, then up the stairs to their door.

As soon as they were inside, Alec engulfed Magnus in an embrace, squeezing gently, as if he could meld them together with sheer force of will. "I love you, so much," he said with conviction.

"I love you, too Alexander," Magnus answered. Alec loosened his embrace, and let his hands slide down off Magnus' shoulders, down his arms, and encircled his wrists lightly. He looked up at Magnus through thick black lashes, and the warlock nearly swooned. It was a look of such vulnerability, so much like the original Alec; Magnus had, in fact, begun to miss the old Alec as compared to this new out and proud version. There were just things about Alec as a shy, vulnerable, sweet young thing that Magnus couldn't help but love. But, as it turns out, he actually was enjoying this Alec also; just not as much as he thought he would. He'd always wished that Alec could be a little more confident in himself, his orientation, his beauty, his everything. He never thought he'd miss the contradiction.

But at that moment, he was distracted from this train of thought. The hands were bringing his wrists forward, to rest on the low slung waist of Alec's pants. His fingertips grazed against warm skin, and Alec closed his eyes, letting his hands guide Magnus' to where he wanted them. He pulled Magnus' fingers back and forth along the strip of stomach just below the bright purple tank top, sighing to himself as Magnus applied more pressure of his own will. Alec's hands left Magnus' wrists, travelling back up to his biceps and grasping gently but with purpose. Magnus took his cue and leaned in for another long, drawn out kiss. His tongue lightly ran across the line of Alec's top teeth, and Alec sighed again. Magnus' fingers were still playing at his waist.

When Alec broke the kiss, he backed up across the room, keeping eye contact with the warlock. He reached up and pulled his rhinestoned blazer off his shoulders, letting it slip down until it cascaded off his toned arms down to the floor.

Magnus' breath caught violently, but not because of Alec's beauty this time. The tank top left his entire arms bare, and most of his upper chest as well. Magnus knew his mouth was gaping open, and he tried to shut it, but it wouldn't comply. He felt the backs of his eyes sting and his heart clench. Had he done this? Please, God, tell me he hadn't.

Alec's arms, from shoulder to wrists, were a chaotic map of blisters and scars. The once inky black Marks were now puckered and shiny, redder than the rest of his tanned skin. They were raised off the surface like artistically shaped boils. Magnus wondered how it wasn't uncomfortable for Alec to have had a jacket on. He knew they were healed, but they still looked excruciatingly painful. He was reminded of the scar on the back of Alec's hand, the one he'd noticed in the church. These matched. The ones on his chest were no different. Swirling scars crept up from the collar of the tank top, encircling his neck with blistered red.

"Magnus, please don't start. Not tonight, please," Alec said softly, sounding like he was begging, but also like he was trying to sooth Magnus. Why would he think that Magnus was the one hurting here?

"Alec, I—" he broke off. He didn't have words.

"I can't do this with you every time. You're going to have to get over it. I know you love me, and I know you don't freak out because it's ugly. But I also know that you can't go on blaming yourself for a choice that _I_ made," Alec finished, looking at Magnus imploringly. Apparently, Magnus had this reaction a lot (in this world, at least). And apparently, it _was_ his fault; at least, that's the way he took it.

"But Alec, why? What…how did this happen?" he couldn't stop himself from asking, even though he clearly was already supposed to know.

"Magnus, _please_." Alec really was pleading with him now, pleading with him to ignore it. Magnus still wanted to see where the night would go (some feral part of him just wouldn't let the sexiness in this Alec go, nor the mood that had started when they'd walked in. He seemed a slave to his hormones at the moment, which hadn't happened in good number of centuries), and Alec seemed intent on continuing, but he wasn't sure he could just flat out ignore it. He was almost afraid to touch Alec, afraid he would hurt him.

Alec took a deep breath, deciding to go on. He crossed his arms at his waist and lifted the hem of the tank top up and over his head, dropping it to the floor. He chose not to look at Magnus again, and that was a good thing. He was sure he was wearing a pained expression. He tried to hide it for the sake of the moment, and for Alec, but he had a feeling he wasn't doing a good job. When he did finally look up, he was startled to see that Alec's expression had completely shifted. He now wore one of pure, unabashed lust. And, dare he say, dominance.

**Song for this section: Going Under by Evanescence (Like the beat and the message of this song. Again, not literal, but the inner angst is there. This whole world is just a little fucked up but, like Alec in his AU, Magnus is having feelings that he can't fight, even though normal Magnus would. Get it? :/ )**

Alec began unbuckling his belt and making his way to the bedroom at the same time. Magnus peeled himself from his frozen spot and followed, dropping his own jacket and shirt on the couch. When he reached the bedroom, Alec was naked and lying sideways on the bed, looking to the door. Magnus was again taken aback at Alec's beauty, marred by the blisters dancing across his skin. As Magnus made his way to the bedside, Alec sat up and scooted to the edge, bringing his hands up to cup Magnus' ass through his pants. Wandering fingers caressed his backside while he looked down at clear blue eyes.

Alec then began to unbutton his pants and slowly peel them down just enough for it to be uncomfortably tantalizing. Magnus was straining against the confines now, and Alec intended to alleviate his problem. Again, there were aspects of this Alec that he liked, like his initiative. But still in the back of his mind was the horrible state of his Marks, and what he himself had to do with it.

Once his erection had sprung free, Alec descended on it, caressing his lips over the head and down all the way while Magnus let out a moan and threw his head back. Thought was halted for a moment. Even as his mouth worked, Alec's hands continued to peel the tight fabric off of Magnus' slender legs, letting it fall to the floor when it was possible. He looked up at Magnus with his lips around his cock, and Magnus lost control. He forgot about being in this weird alternate universe. He forgot about Alec being not Alec. He forgot about the fact that he was probably dead right now. He couldn't keep a coherent train of thought going except that it felt so good and please don't stop and ohmygodi'mgonna…

"Fuck, Alec!" he screamed as his cock hit the back of Alec's throat and hot cum shot into the warm tunnel engulfing him. His breathing was erratic, and his legs suddenly wouldn't hold him anymore. He collapsed down on the bed next to Alec, who pulled his clothes the rest of the way off and shoved him up further on the bed. He lay back, not really having the strength to do much else at the moment. This was a different side of Alec he'd never seen in real life before. Even the one time that Alec took the pitcher position, he'd been very nervous about it. He'd been so timid when he asked that Magnus almost felt sorry for him. But this Alec seemed intent on pretty much making Magnus his bitch. All the lovey dovey-ness from earlier was nowhere to be seen. It was all primal now. Magnus wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he didn't really have time to ponder.

Alec had disappeared into the closet, only to come out with a pair of black fur-lined handcuffs. WHAT? Alec…and…and…what? Magnus couldn't think straight. Okay, this Alec apparently liked to take charge, but how on fucking mother earth could this alter-ego Alec know his innermost fantasy? What he'd wished for over and over again, but was too kind to bring it up out loud. He had never even uttered the words, nor anything similar. It was like this Alec could read his mind or something. He knew his deepest desires.

Alec made his naked way back over to the bed and straddled Magnus' hips. Their erections rubbed together, and Magnus was almost in pain from the aftershock of the orgasm he'd just experienced. Alec took his wrists and pulled them together above his head. He looped the chain of the handcuffs around a grate in the headboard and fastened Magnus' wrists into them, sporting a devilish smile the entire time. It made it look even more evil, with the angry red blisters all over his body. Magnus gulped audibly, and Alec only smiled wider. Then he went to work.

He reached over into the bedside table drawer and drew out a bottle of lube. He popped the cap, and Magnus was bombarded by grapefruit, his favorite smell. Damnit, he'd always wished they'd make grapefruit scented lube. He hated strawberry and watermelon and all that crap. Grapefruit smelled like heaven. Alec coated two fingers with it, then used his other hand to pull Magnus' leg up, shoving his knee into his own chest. He did the same to the other leg, leaving Magnus spread eagle and vulnerable. He then reached down and pushed one finger inside, and Magnus swooned, pulling against his bonds. God, how he imagined this. And it was happening. In this alternate universe of weirdness. What on earth had possessed alternate-Alec to think of such a thing after the sweet night they'd had was beyond him, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to complain.

Alec started pumping his finger in and out, and Magnus started thrusting his hips into his hand, not really noticing he was doing it. Then he felt another finger enter and he tightened down on them to intensify the sensation. He let out little gasps and moans and squeezed his eyes shut. It was ecstasy. Until Alec pulled his fingers out.

But, as it happens, Magnus didn't even have time to whimper at the loss. Alec's hands went to the backs of his knees, shoving them up near his chin, and thrust in to the hilt all in one swift movement. Magnus screamed and Alec stifled it with his mouth. He shoved his tongue to the back of Magnus' throat, nearly choking him into submission. Jesus, this Alec was forceful. Not that Magnus' was complaining; it was his ultimate fantasy after all. (In some far corner of his mind, he was thinking: it was a fantasy because sweet, adorable, normal Alec would never let it happen. He'd be way too shy. And thus, the forbidden is always what garners the most desire.)

Alec's thrusts were purposeful, full of authority, and deep. He hit Magnus' prostate on the third one, and didn't stop after that. The warlock cried out and screamed and begged to be let go, but somehow Alec knew he really didn't mean it. It was just him getting into the fantasy. He'd always been the one in charge; he fantasized about being whipped into shape every now and then. And God, was Alec doing just that. Magnus felt his head hit the head board over and over, but he didn't care. Pain made the sensation more vivid.

"Please, oh please," he begged, though he wasn't sure what for.

"What you want, pretty boy?" Alec taunted.

"Please, just…let me…unnnnnnnngh," Magnus moaned.

"You gotta tell me, or you won't get it. I'll just keep poundin' you till the sun comes up. But you'd like that wouldn't you?" Alec was leaning over and whispering in his ear by then of his last sentence. The switched-up angle made it nearly unbearable for Magnus to hold his screams in. He hoped that in this universe he didn't have the crazy old lady living above him. He was sure she'd be suspicious that he was being murdered at the moment. Not that she would care. In fact, she'd probably be glad.

"Please, just let me…ahhhh….let me come, baby please!" Magnus whined.

Finally, he started to feel Alec's rhythm going astray. The boy was steadily picking up speed, then shoving in a holding there, then going back to thrusting. It was so familiar to Magnus, as he'd watched Alec do it to himself and he'd also done it to Alec, that he didn't even think about it. He just counted down in his head. Three…two…one….

Then he felt Alec's hot liquid shoot against his prostate, and he was done. He screamed out something, he wasn't sure what, and pulled so hard against the handcuffs restraining him that he felt blood trickle down his arm. Alec leaned over and lapped it up with the tip of his tongue, drawing himself out slowly and smiling. This time, Magnus was a little happy for the relief. It kind of hit him right after the pleasure of the orgasm: Alec was pretty damn rough. He was sure he'd be walking funny in the morning. But, he had to admit, that was the best lived-out fantasy he'd ever had in his life. And in 800 years, he'd had some doozies. It was like this Alec could see right into the innermost workings of his mind, and set out to grant every single unspoken wish he'd made in the dark of nights spent alone or in his company.

As Alec released him, throwing the handcuffs aside without a word and rolling over beside him, Magnus let his mind linger on that last thought. He'd had a wish granted just now. Come to think of it, he'd had several since he'd gotten here. What was that about? He wasn't quite sure where his kind went when they died, but he was pretty sure it wasn't heaven. And it seemed like a place that granted the most soulful wishes you'd had in the recent past would be a lot closer to heaven than hell…or wherever it was that half-demon monsters went to. As he lay there pondering, he couldn't help but think of that old adage: Be careful what you wish for. A few more flickering thoughts from the past crossed his mind, and he shuddered. Soon, he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

**Okay yes, I know you're still weirded out. But this world is SUPPOSED to be FUBAR'd. If you don't know what that means: Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. Seriously, please don't review with "OMG what the hell why did Alec just switch gears that fast! You're so freaking incompetent!" Bc I will just ignore them. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Like I said, this alternate universe stuff is gonna get weirder, but I hope you're catching on a little more. BTW, as per the implications of the situation, Magnus' world is bound to get a WHOLE LOT weirder than Alec's. Js. Love you guys, and please review. Even just to tell me that you hate me for dying for like three weeks. **

**MLG update coming later tonight or tomorrow. **


	7. The Deepest and Sincerest

**OMG. I know I say this every freaking time, but PLEASE PUT THE PITCHFORKS DOWN! Yes, this story is up and running again. I warned you it wasn't going to be updated like my regular stories bc it's just too hard. But alas, I'm attempting. This isn't going to be a very long story either, but it's a fair size. Anyway, hope I haven't made you lose ALL interest with its long hiatus.**

**Thank you MayMay, for pre-reading this. Even though you're supposed to tell me it doesn't suck lol. **

**All characters belong to Cassandra Clare. Plot and weirdness is all mine. **

**Chapter Song: Dark Lines by Gossip (Just creepy sounding. I like it lol)**

_I wish I had a batman jumpy thingy_

He'd wished that when he was maybe six years old. Could this possibly…no, surely not. But then again…

He started thinking over his life, looking for parallels with all the random events in this alternate world he was thrust into. He found several. A startlingly large number, in fact. This was only the first and probably the most innocent. The others were more heartfelt and serious. They had the potential to have a great deal more impact on things.

_I wish I was normal._

Well, this was a frequent wish. It usually stemmed from a lot of circumstances, like him being gay, being a Shadowhunter, being ungodly tall, being weak.

_I wish I lived in a pretty house instead of the freezing Institute._

This one was pretty innocent, considering he did have a point. It also connected to the previous one. He really, really always wanted to just be a normal boy, without all this crap flooding his life. Killing demons (or not…in his case), living half his life on the dirty streets of nighttime New York City, sometimes not knowing whether his parents would come home, that sort of thing. Sometimes he would pass by a neighborhood of quaint townhouses and wish he could be in one of them, living a perfectly normal, apple pie kind of life.

_I wish I wasn't in love with Jace._

That one was a huge one. For most of his adolescent life, he'd pined after his adopted brother in secret, feeling completely miserable and abnormal and hideous. Not bearing to reveal himself to the world for fear of the judgment he _knew_ the Clave would pass on him, considering he was attracted to boys. And Jace being his _brother_ didn't help matters.

_I wish Jace was in love with me._

This wish was no less heartfelt than the one before. Although, this one began cropping up in his mind in more recent years, around the time he was 15 or 16. He'd come to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to ever get over his parabatai. He wanted him with every fiber of his soul, so naturally, his wish had changed to something that would make him at least not be the only freak in this family. He sought companionship in more ways than one.

_I wish Jace wasn't my brother._

He winced at this, but he knew he'd wished it so fully at one particular time. He would be able to at least love him in secret without feeling like a complete and utter freak of nature. Jace wasn't his biological sibling, but still. The sentiment was there in the rest of the family. But, if Jace was just some other random Shadowhunter boy, Alec would feel a little less like a perverted, incestuous weirdo.

_I wish I was older, so I didn't have to deal with this anymore._

This wish stemmed, predictably, from teenage hormones. He sometimes figured that if he was older, and subsequently probably far away from Jace, he'd be able to get over all this crap. Or at least not have to face it head on every single day.

_I wish I wasn't a Shadowhunter._

Ah. This one would kill his family. Shadowhunters, at least the ones he was familiar with, were cultish about their identity. Being a Shadowhunter was like being one step closer to divinity. Wishing he wasn't one would definitely not sit well with most. His parents, Isabelle, and Jace would probably just be completely baffled that the though ever crossed his mind.

_I wish I had a friend like Simon. _

He would only ever admit this to himself. Part of it was that he felt that Simon was kind of a kindred spirit, since he was also in love with his best friend. He really didn't like Simon all that much, as a person (or vampire, rather), but he was insanely jealous of the easy relationship that Clary and Simon had. It was obvious that Simon pined for Clary the same way that Alec secretly loved Jace, but they were different. At least Simon could stand close to Clary and not look like he was about to throw up. At least he could casually throw an arm around her and joke. He could make her smile with his humor and wit. And the thing was, she also seemed to know that he liked her, but neither of them really let it bother their friendship. Alec would never, _ever_ have that with Jace.

_I wish Clary wasn't in the picture._

This fervent plea was borne of pure jealousy. He'd admit it. He knew in his heart that he'd never, ever have Jace, but he'd been okay with Jace not being interested in anyone else either. He really didn't mind the random girls Jace "dated", because he knew Jace was bored with them anyway. He didn't feel anything for them. But Clary changed him, and that had set Alec's jealousy on fire. For once, Jace was interested in the well-being of someone who wasn't his family (well, for a while there, they thought she was, but that's a different story). Alec hated her with a passion for a long time. He honestly wished she'd just disappear.

_I wish someone would love me._

This was the first honest wish he'd had that had seemed to come true. He wasn't looking for _love_, per se, when he went to see Magnus that day that started it all, but that's what it had grown into. This was the only memory he ran through now that made him smile. He honestly loved Magnus Bane with everything in him, and he didn't know what he'd do without him in his life. But then, the smile faded when he thought about his current situation and everything that had happened before he'd died at Jonathan's hands. He tried to push it away and continued looking for parallels.

_I wish Magnus was normal. _

He kind of regretted wishing this, considering his exoticness was something he loved about Magnus, but sometimes he just figured it would be a hell of a lot easier. Besides, being in love with a mundane was bad, but being in love with a Downworlder was downright horrid in the eyes of the Clave.

_I wish Magnus was a lot more subtle._

This was because their personalities were so different. Sure, Alec was a very blunt person and could cut to the chase pretty quickly and dryly. But Magnus was blunt in the way that sometimes lacked tact. He would say things in certain company that made Alec cringe sometimes. He supposed it wasn't really all that horrible and sometimes Alec was overreacting, but still. He could stand for Magnus to be a little more toned down.

_I wish Magnus was mortal._

This one he regretted the most. Thinking back on it, he'd wished it with all his heart and soul because he'd been thinking of growing old and Magnus staying young forever. He couldn't stand it. It just meant that Magnus would probably get tired of him the minute he reached 30 and Alec looked like a pedophile for dating someone so much younger than him. It wouldn't matter than Magnus had several centuries on him. Only the appearance mattered. And he couldn't bear Magnus leaving him just because his hair was going to get gray. Also, he really, really wanted to picture them growing old _together_. He didn't think it was morbid. There was a certain romanticism and charm about two lovers growing feeble and gray, yet sticking by each other. They left the world together, and lived on in the afterlife. He and Magnus would never have that. If the miracle happened that Magnus stayed with him until he died, that would leave Magnus alone. Alec was sure he'd just find another boy toy to play with, but he did feel wretched about leaving the one he loved because of his mortality. So he'd wished Magnus would die along with him. How selfish.

And now, look at this world he was living in. He lived in a quaint house, with a much aged Magnus, who was skittish about PDA and worked a simple and probably boring job. Alec also worked a shitty, boring job in which he was best friends with Simon, and Jace (who wasn't his brother) followed him around like a lovesick puppy and didn't care a damn about Clary. Oh, and lest he forget, there was a Batman bounce castle in his back yard.

**Song for this section: I Will Be by Leona Lewis (sadness but happiness at the same time *smileyface*)**

He jumped when he heard the garage door opening, and figured Magnus must be home. He went back around the house and out the gate that led to the driveway just in time to greet Magnus as he stepped out of his sleek black Lexus. He definitely had to admit, age hadn't been unkind to Magnus Bane. He looked even more regal and beautiful with lines at the corners of his eyes. Alec walked up to him, taking the chance to slide his arms around Magnus' slim waist. As Magnus realized what he was doing, his eyes went wide and terrified. His head darted around, seemingly looking for someone who was standing around to judge them. Alec's heart clenched. He didn't want this at all.

"Hey, hey," he said softly, gently squeezing at Magnus' hip to get his attention. Those beautiful green-yellow eyes locked on his, scared and searching, and his breath caught for a second. When he recovered, he continued. "It's okay. Why are you scared?" he asked.

Magnus looked at him a moment before answering. "Well, you've just been acting really weird today. And, well, you usually freak out at things like…like this," he said timidly, seeming completely at a loss. Alec's heart again clenched at the fact that Magnus was so unutterably different. He'd wished he was more subtle, but this was way too much. But then again, that had happened with Jace also. He'd wished Jace was in love with him, and what he got was a sad, lovesick little boy who was scarily codependent on him. He'd made a mess of this alternate universe, literally.

"Magnus, I love you. And I guess I…I figured I shouldn't be afraid to show you. No matter who's around," he said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. He noted that Magnus' face relaxed a little, and the tiniest of smiles played at the edges of his full, soft lips. Suddenly, Alec was enamored beyond all comprehension. He chose to prove his statement at that moment with a very pointed kiss. He leaned in, connecting their lips firmly, but not forcefully. He was trying to convey his feelings all in one kiss. Their lips stayed closed, but when he pulled back finally, the look in Magnus' eyes had changed completely. He looked so completely in love, passion pouring from his pores. Alec was racked with breathlessness.

They stared in each other's eyes for a long moment, just drinking it in. Then, Magnus spoke, albeit a little choked and breathless. "I love you, too." Alec smiled and nuzzled his nose into the crook of his lover's neck. He heard a contented sigh as Magnus said, "Do you want to go inside?"

That statement, innocent enough in its basic form, was so injected with want that it startled Alec into simply taking Magnus' hand and dragging him out of the garage and inside the house, just barely thinking of hitting the button and shutting the garage door. Once they were inside, Alec attacked Magnus' lips again in earnest. He began leading Magnus backward, without really knowing where he was going; he still hadn't learned this house by heart yet, and most certainly couldn't properly navigate it mid-makeout and backwards. But, they kept going, kissing and groping feverishly, until Magnus pulled back and stopped them.

"Did you all of a sudden develop a linoleum fetish?"

This stopped Alec in his tracks. His chest tightened uncontrollably at just that little phrase. It was the closest, most normally _Magnus_ thing that had come out of this Magnus' mouth, and it made Alec's heart soar. There was even a bit of his old teasing tone infused within it. It was glorious, and only made Alec jump back up and lay his lips on Magnus' again. When he released him, he noticed Magnus' eyes, though coated in lust, were also a little confused and cautious. He looked around, and noticed that yes, they had landed in the kitchen. The bedroom was down the hall in the opposite direction. But Alec didn't really care. He was noticing that apparently age didn't really affect hormones all that much; he still felt like a horny teenager, and all this passion for this man in front of him was threatening to pull him under.

"Sure, if you want to think of it that way," he said, placing his lips on the spot just below Magnus' earlobe and sucking gently. Then, he pulled his mouth off and blew cool air onto the spot, making Magnus' whole body shiver. There were honestly too many clothes on them at this point in time. Alec's hands moved inside Magnus' suit jacket, sliding them up over his shoulders and pushing the fabric down his arms and throwing the jacket onto the small breakfast table in the corner. His mouth continued its assault on the salty skin of Magnus' neck, pulling heated sighs from his companion while his fingers ghosted down to begin prying the buttons from the holes on his olive green dress shirt. Magnus gasped, and used his hands to push gently against Alec's chest, stopping him. Alec was flabbergasted for a moment. Magnus was stopping sexual contact? Even this Magnus? Even though they were in their own home where no one could see them and he was clearly into it?

"Alec…" he began, looking unsure of himself.

"Do you not want to do this?" Alec asked, feeling like he'd faint if Magnus said no.

"It's not that. It's just….we haven't made love in four months, and we've never traveled outside the bedroom, and you want to do it in the _kitchen_?" He seemed completely confused. Meanwhile, Alec couldn't process this. They hadn't made love in _four months?_ Obviously, age did affect hormones, and the way he was feeling now was just a product of the fact that he was still his 18 year old self inside this body. He couldn't believe Magnus had held out for that long. But…was he not horny all the time either? He wondered if they'd always been like this in this universe, or if this was just a product of age.

"Yes, I do. Let's live a little," Alec said. At Magnus' hesitance, he added, in a low voice, right in his ear, "Please. Make love to me Magnus. I need you." And there was never a more true statement in the history of the world at that moment. The next sound was music to his ears.

"Okay."

He felt nimble fingers ghost down the back of his neck lightly, making him shiver. They ran down the length of his back, caressing, until they gripped his ass firmly and squeezed. Alec moaned and resumed his earlier endeavor of trying to rid Magnus of his shirt, but Magnus made it exceedingly hard to concentrate on motor skills when he ground their hips together like that. Twin growls ripped from both their throats. Finally, Alec had removed the offending clothing, and his hands ran over smooth, tan skin. It was glorious.

Magnus began pushing him backwards, toward the counter next to the sink. When the small of his back hit, he reached back with both hands and hoisted himself up, sitting on the edge. Their lips never parted, their arms tangled and pulling at belts and shirts and underwear. Magnus had Alec's dress shirt off, and it was now lying in a wrinkled heap on the floor. Alec's pants were halfway off his ass when Magnus stopped, yet again. Alec almost cried.

"What now?" he whined.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at him. "You really want to do this without anything?"

"Oh."

"I'll be right back," Magnus said. Alec watched him go, praying to everything holy he hadn't wished Magnus was normal. That way, he could just flash up whatever they needed and not have to leave Alec here, half naked and whimpering for more heat. He thought he could at least help a little, so he tugged his pants and underwear completely off and chucked them to the floor. When Magnus returned with a small blue bottle in his hand, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring. Alec felt the blush creep into his face at Magnus' blatant checking him out, while he sat there stark naked on the kitchen counter. Soon, he couldn't take it anymore.

"If you stand way over there for another second I might die," he said lowly. That was all it took. Magnus rushed to him, placing the bottle on the counter, and captured his lips. It was so intoxicating having Magnus' talented mouth on him. And, like Magnus could hear his thoughts, he slipped his lips lower, kissing down Alec's bare chest, causing goose bumps to pop up all over his scarless body. He took a taut nipple into his mouth and sucked gently.

"God, Magnus…"

He came back up to place a quick kiss against the corner of Alec's mouth, then reached beside him. As he popped the cap on the little bottle of lube, Alec stared at his biceps. They were dreamy. He watched the muscles roll and contract as he coated three fingers in the slippery substance. Alec took a deep breath as Magnus' mouth came back to him. He bit down on his lover's lip just as a long finger slipped in, and they moaned in unison. He felt as though they hadn't done this in a very, very long time, even though they'd made love the night before Alec had been captured by Jonathan.

Magnus worked the second finger in, pushing in slowly as Alec continued to ravish his mouth with his tongue. Alec's hands clutched furiously at the back of Magnus' neck, trying to pull him closer, to unite them. Once the third finger joined the first two, Alec let go of Magnus' lips and traveled down to suck on the spot just next to his pulse point. Magnus let out a low moan that sounded so gravelly and wanton, Alec bucked his hips without thinking about it. After a few more minutes of slow, firm finger fucking, Magnus took pity on him. He removed his fingers to the tune of Alec's whimpering cry, and reached for the bottle again. Alec's hands went immediately to the belt, button, and zipper of Magnus' pants, shoving them down forcefully. He reached down and palmed Magnus through his boxers, causing a strangled sigh to escape his lover's throat. At that, he ripped the boxers down, and Magnus stepped out of his clothes, kicking them to the side, heaping them with Alec's.

They kissed feverishly for a few more seconds while Magnus slicked himself up, Alec almost shaking in anticipation. Even in his real life, they'd only done this a couple of times. Needless to say, he was apprehensive but needing, nervous but wanting. He flinched a little as soon as the tip of Magnus' head grazed his entrance, but tried to relax and live in the moment.

"Are you okay?" Magnus asked before he did anything more.

"I'm perfect. Please, Magnus," Alec whined into the space between their swollen lips.

"That, you are," Magnus sighed. He pushed forward just a bit, and Alec threw his head back against the cabinets, reveling in the pain and pleasure that coursed through him as Magnus entered him only half way. He brought his lips back down, pressing them against the shell of Magnus' ear, nipping a little.

"_Please,_" he repeated, softer this time. Magnus complied, wrenching a long, drawn out moan from Alec as he filled him up completely. Magnus stilled his movements for a moment, letting Alec relax around him. Then, he pulled out slowly and inched back in. The feeling was glorious, and for a moment Alec imagined they were back in Magnus' apartment, and Magnus was his normal self, and Alec was 18 again, and they were writhing underneath that godforsaken canary duvet.

"Faster, Magnus," he pleaded, eyes clenched shut and nose nestled into the crook of Magnus' neck.

"But…I won't…I can't…it wouldn't be very long…" he stuttered, and Alec could see he was holding himself back with great effort.

"That's okay. We have all night to go slow. I just…I just want you right now. _Please_, Magnus," he whined, nipping at Magnus' earlobe.

"Are you sure?" he asked, tension threatening to pull him apart.

"Just, love me. That's all I want," Alec answered. And so Magnus did. He sped up, pounding into Alec with reckless abandon. It was a little painful at first, but soon enough, Alec gave in to the pleasure of it. His ass was grinding into the countertop, his head kept hitting the cabinets, and his thighs were getting rubbed raw from sliding over Magnus' hips, but he was lost to ecstasy.

Magnus was right, it wouldn't take long. He felt his lover shiver, and his movements stuttered a little. The friction between them was enough to have Alec teetering on the edge of orgasm as well.

"I'm…almost…" Alec panted breathlessly. The words were no sooner out of his mouth than he felt that hot coil of tension burst apart, his release spilling out between them. He leaned over and bit down on Magnus' shoulder to keep from screaming. Whether it was the bite, or Alec's walls contracting around him, it took two more thrusts for Alec to feel Magnus shoot off inside him. Magnus came hard, and almost collapsed forward when his arms gave out. Alec caught him against his chest, placing a soft, exhausted kiss on his sweaty forehead. His legs were still wrapped tightly around Magnus' waist.

"We…should do that more often," came the murmur from Alec's shoulder. His chest rumbled with a small laugh. He figured they probably should, considering he'd kept this poor version of Magnus at bay for four months. What a horrible boyfriend.

Alec's mind wandered a moment. This was all well and good, but he did need to get out of this universe sometime. This was Magnus, and parts of him were the same, but he definitely wasn't _his_ Magnus. For all Alec knew, they were both dead and this was some kind of twisted afterlife. But somehow, he didn't think that was true. He was determined to make sense of things as much as he could and maybe, someday, get back to his warlock and live the life they were supposed to before everything got so fucked up.

**Okay, so there you have it. Yes, there are contradicting wishes at work here. They are from different points in life, thus they have different motivations behind them. And also, the wishes that come true in this world aren't just all the wishes they ever wished in their lives. They are the most sincere, deepest, strongest desires of their souls. These are things they wished for night after night, with all their hearts. There's a difference. **

**So, sorry for the lack of updates with this. Is anyone even still reading it? Meh. There are so many other things I want to get to, so I really need to finish this lol.**

**Also, Misery Loves Glamour will be updated tonight if it kills me. And it just might. lol**


	8. Very Important PSAAuthor's Note

Hello everyone!

First of all, I'm sorry if I freaked you out by posting this, since FFn will probably alert you and you'll think I've updated all these stories, but bear with me. I _AM _updating All's Fair in Love and Glamour in a bit, but I wanted to come here and give you guys a little explanation as to where I've been and what's happening with my fics now.

If you haven't heard, FFn has been doing a major purge of stories with explicit content. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but…_all_ my stories are explicit LOL. Inner Animal was deleted a few weeks ago without notice. So, in light of that, I've decided to move my entire fic archive over to a livejournal account specifically for my fic. There are several advantages to this, for me and for you. For one, for me it's a ton easier to upload chapters on the platform on LJ. FFn is very convoluted and it's kind of always been a hassle. Also, links are supported on livejournal, so now in my chapter updates I can link you guys to videos and/or songs straight from the fic page, instead of you having to youtube songs yourself, if you want to listen to them. Lots of other things are cooler about livejournal than FFn, and I hope you'll join me in enjoying the ease of use it has to offer over FFn.

Currently, only the Glamour stories are up on livejournal, but I WILL be putting every single one of my stories there in the near future. It's taken me this long to get it up and running because, well, the Glamour stories are huge and it took a lot of time to upload them all. (I think I've clocked it in somewhere around 32 hours total, but I can't be entirely sure. This on top of school and everything else, I hope you can understand why it's taken me so long and I hope you can forgive me.)

For those of you who don't already follow it, it would be a good idea to follow _**theglamourverse . tumblr . com**_, as I always post links to updates there, as well as a whole slew of extra stuff like pictures and character facts/headcanons and fanart and stuff. And, as I will no longer be posting to FFn at all, that is where you will be able to find me and talk to me. Always feel free to drop me an ask if you're confused about something or just want to talk! I always get back fairly quickly, provided I have the free time. You can also ask the Glamour characters questions on there, and submit headcanons of your own. It's fun stuff! You don't have to follow, but if you don't have an LJ account where you can get alerts for my updates, that's the only place you'll be able to find them.

So, to reiterate, I will no longer be posting updates to FFn in the future. I will leave my account open, so that those who have alerts or favorites on me can see this message if they aren't around right this moment. I want to thank all of you for your continued love and support (and general flailing that I am soooo not worthy of) as I've made this transition. I hope you continue to follow my stories, and feel free to talk to me! I don't bite! I've loved talking to those of you who've messaged me and asked me how I've been. It is beyond appreciated. Life gets in the way sometimes, and I'm glad most of you understand that.

So, here's to new beginnings! As I said, All's Fair in Love and Glamour Ch15 will be up as soon as Grace does her beta magic. _**I will provide the link to the new livejournal (where you will be able to find ALL my fics) on theglamourverse tumblr. There will also eventually be a link on the sidebar of that tumblr where you can find posts for my non-glamourverse fics (like Tutor!Alec and other one-shot-ish type things) when/if they update. On the livejournal, there will be tags for those. :)**_

Much true love for all of you,

Brooke


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